Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 85 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2026. That figure, confirmed during Take-Two Interactive’s Q4 FY2026 earnings call on May 21, makes it the third-best-selling video game in history, surpassing Wii Sports (82.9 million lifetime) and trailing only Minecraft (350 million) and Grand Theft Auto V (225+ million).
Six months ago, we reported that RDR2 had become the fourth best-selling game of all time at 79 million units. It has added roughly 6 million copies since then, despite receiving no major content updates, has an effectively abandoned online mode, and still does not have a native PS5 version.
Here is where the all-time list stands now:
| Rank | Game | Units Sold | Year Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minecraft | 350+ million | 2011 |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto V | 225+ million | 2013 |
| 3 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | 85+ million | 2018 |
| 4 | Wii Sports | 82.9 million | 2006 |
| 5 | Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe | ~76 million (combined) | 2014 / 2017 |
Two of the top three best-selling games in history were made by Rockstar Games.
RDR2 sold 23 million copies in its first two months after launching in October 2018. It crossed 50 million by 2022. It hit 79 million by November 2025. It is now at 85 million in May 2026. The pace has not slowed despite Rockstar pulling all development resources virtually from Red Dead Online to focus on GTA 6.
The Red Dead Redemption franchise as a whole has now sold over 112 million units, which includes the original 2010 game, the 2023 remaster, and RDR2. The franchise generates a fraction of the revenue that GTA produces because Red Dead Online never matched Grand Theft Auto Online‘s monetization success, but in terms of pure unit sales, the franchise is one of the most commercially successful in gaming history.
What makes the 85 million number particularly striking is that it was achieved without. No native current-gen console version. No 60 FPS mode on PS5 or Xbox Series X. No major DLC. No story expansion. No Undead Nightmare 2. No meaningful Red Dead Online updates since 2022. The game sells on the strength of its single-player campaign and its reputation alone. When we say RDR2 humiliated the competition, this is what we mean. An abandoned game is outselling actively supported titles across the industry.
The PlayStation Plus addition earlier this month, which put RDR2 in front of 50 million Extra and Premium subscribers, will only accelerate the trajectory. The game is now functionally free for a significant portion of the PS5 install base. The 85 million figure does not yet reflect any PS Plus driven adoption.
The gap to GTA V at 225 million remains enormous and will almost certainly never close, but the gap to Wii Sports is now permanent. Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third best-selling game ever made, and it got there while its developer was looking the other way.
Now imagine if the headlines for Red Dead Redemption were better than a guy who’s playing through the 2018 award-winning title with a PC that definitely doesn’t belong in the modern era.
