Arcade video game

An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arcade cabinet, and located in amusement arcades alongside other kinds of arcade games. Until the late 1990s, arcade video games were the largest[1] and most technologically advanced[2][3] segment of the video game industry.

Police 911 (also called The Keisatsukan and Police 24/7) is a light gun arcade game.
Video games
Platforms
Genres
Lists
  • Arcade video games
  • Best-selling games
    • franchises
    • fastest-selling
  • Highest-grossing games
  • Longest-running franchises
  • Most-played games
    • mobile
  • Games considered among the best
  • Game of the Year awards
  • Negative reception
Development
  • Game AI
  • Game design
    • Video game design
    • Interaction
  • Programming
  • Art
  • Graphics
  • Music

Early prototypical entries Galaxy Game and Computer Space in 1971 established the principle operations for arcade games, and Atari's Pong in 1972 is recognized as the first successful commercial arcade video game. Improvements in computer technology and gameplay design led to a golden age of arcade video games, the exact dates of which are debated but range from the late 1970s to mid-1980s. This golden age includes Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong. The arcade industry had a resurgence from the early 1990s to mid-2000s, including Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, and Dance Dance Revolution, but ultimately declined in the Western world as competing home video game consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox increased in their graphics and gameplay capability and decreased in cost. Nevertheless, Japan, China, and Korea retain a strong arcade industry in the present day.[4]

History
See also: History of arcade games
Pong is the first commercially successful arcade video game

Games of skill were popular amusement-park midway attractions from the 19th century on. With the introduction of electricity and coin-operated machines, they facilitated a viable business. When pinball machines with electric lights and displays were introduced in 1933 (but without the user-controller flippers which would not be invented until 1947) these machines were seen as games of luck. Numerous states and cities treated them as amoral playthings for rebellious young people, and banned them into the 1960s and 1970s.[5]

Electro-mechanical games (EM games) appeared in arcades in the mid-20th century. Following Sega's EM game Periscope (1966), the arcade industry experienced a "technological renaissance" driven by "audio-visual" EM novelty games, establishing the arcades as a suitable environment for the introduction of commercial video games in the early 1970s.[6] In the late 1960s, college student Nolan Bushnell had a part-time job at an arcade where he became familiar with EM games such as Chicago Coin's racing game Speedway (1969), watching customers play and helping to maintain the machinery, while learning the game business.[7]

The early mainframe game Spacewar! (1962) inspired the first commercial arcade video game, Computer Space (1971), created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney and released by Nutting Associates.[8] It was demonstrated at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in October 1971.[9] Another Spacewar-inspired coin-operated video game, Galaxy Game, was demonstrated at Stanford University in November 1971. Bushnell and Dabney followed their Computer Space success to create - with the help of Allan Alcorn - a table-tennis game, Pong, released in 1972. Pong became a commercial success, leading numerous other coin-op manufacturers to enter the market.[8]

Main article: Golden age of arcade video games

The video game industry transitioned from discrete integrated circuitry to programmable microprocessors in the mid-1970s, starting with Gun Fight in 1975. The arcade industry entered a "Golden Age" in 1978 with the release of Taito's Space Invaders, which introduced many novel gameplay features - including a scoreboard. From 1978 to 1982, several other major arcade-games from Namco, Atari, Williams Electronics, Stern Electronics, and Nintendo were all considered blockbusters, particularly Namco's Pac-Man (1980), which became a fixture in popular culture. Across North America and Japan, dedicated video-game arcades appeared and arcade-game cabinets appeared in many smaller storefronts. By 1981, the arcade video-game industry was worth US$8 billion in the US.[10]

The novelty of arcade games waned sharply after 1982 due to several factors, including market saturation of arcades and arcade games, a moral panic over video games (similar to fears raised over pinball machines in the decades prior), and the 1983 video game crash as the home-console market impacted arcades. The arcade market had recovered by 1986, with the help of software-conversion kits, the arrival of popular beat 'em up games (such as Kung-Fu Master (1984) and Renegade (1986-1987)), and advanced motion simulator games (such as Sega's "taikan" games including Hang-On (1985), Space Harrier (1985), and Out Run (1986)). However, the growth of home video-game systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System led to another brief arcade decline toward the end of the 1980s.[11]

Arcade games continued to improve with the development of technology and of gameplay. In the early 1990s, the release of Capcom's Street Fighter II established the modern style of fighting games and led to a number of similar games such as Mortal Kombat, Fatal Fury, Killer Instinct, Virtua Fighter, and Tekken, creating a new renaissance in the arcades.[12][13] Another factor was realism,[14] including the "3D Revolution" from 2D and pseudo-3D graphics to "true" real-time 3D polygon graphics.[15][16] This was largely driven by a technological arms-race between Sega and Namco.[17] During the early 1990s games such as Sega's Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter popularized 3D-polygon technology in arcades. 3D graphics later became popular in console and computer games by the mid-1990s,[18] though arcade systems such as the Sega Model 3 remained considerably more advanced than home systems in the late 1990s.[2][3] Until about 1996, arcade video-games had remained the largest segment of the global video-game industry. Arcades declined in the late 1990s, surpassed by the console market for the first time around 1997–1998.[1]

Since the 2000s, arcade games have taken different routes globally. In the United States, arcades have become niche markets as they compete with the home-console market, and they have adapted other business models, such as providing other entertainment options or adding prize redemptions.[19] In Japan and China, where arcades continue to flourish, games like Dance Dance Revolution and The House of the Dead aim to deliver tailored experiences that players cannot easily have at home.[20]

Technology
The inside of a Neo Geo

Virtually all modern arcade games (other than the very traditional fair midway) make extensive use of solid state electronics, integrated circuits, and monitor screens, all installed inside an arcade cabinet.

With the exception of Galaxy Game and Computer Space, which were built around small form-factor mainframe computers, the first arcade games are based on combinations of multiple discrete logic chips, such as transistor–transistor logic (TTL) chips. Designing an arcade game was more about the combination of these TTL chips and other electronic components to achieve the desired effect on screen. More complex gameplay required significantly more TTL components to achieve this result. By the mid-1970s, the first inexpensive programmable microprocessors had arrived on the market. The first microprocessor-based video game is Midway's Gun Fight in 1975 (a conversion of Taito's Western Gun), and with the advent of Space Invaders and the golden era, microprocessor-based games became typical.[21]: 64  Early arcade games were also designed around raster graphics displayed on a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. Many games of the late 1970s and early 1980s use special displays that rendered vector graphics, though these waned by the mid-1980s as display technology on CRTs improved.[22] Prior to the availability of color CRT or vector displays, some arcade cabinets have a combination of angled monitor positioning, one-way mirrors, and clear overlays to simulate colors and other graphics onto the gameplay field.[23]

Coin-operated arcade video games from the 1990s to the 2000s generally use custom hardware often with multiple CPUs, highly specialized sound and graphics chips, and the latest in expensive computer graphics display technology. This allows more complex graphics and sound than contemporary video game consoles or personal computers. Many arcade games since the 2000s run on modified video game console hardware (such as the Sega NAOMI or Triforce) or gaming PC components (such as the Taito Type X). Many arcade games have more immersive and realistic game controls than PC or console games. This includes specialized ambiance or control accessories such as fully enclosed dynamic cabinets with force feedback controls, dedicated lightguns, rear-projection displays, reproductions of automobile or airplane cockpits, motorcycle or horse-shaped controllers, or highly dedicated controllers such as dancing mats and fishing rods. These accessories are usually too bulky, expensive, and specialized to be used with typical home PCs and consoles. Arcade makers experiment with virtual reality technology. Arcades have progressed from using coins as credits to smart cards that hold the virtual currency of credits.

Modern arcade cabinets use flat panel displays instead of cathode-ray tubes. Internet services such as ALL.Net, NESiCAxLive, e-Amusement and NESYS, allow the cabinets to download updates or new games, do online multiplayer gameplay, save progress, unlock content, or earn credits.

Genres
Sega Rally arcade racing games at the Veljekset Keskinen department store in Tuuri, Alavus, Finland in 2017

Many arcade games have short levels, simple and intuitive control schemes, and rapidly increasing difficulty. The classic formula for a successful arcade video game is "easy to learn, difficult to master"[24] along with a "multiple life, progressively difficult level" paradigm.[25] This is due to the environment of the arcade, where the player is essentially renting the game for as long as their in-game avatar can stay alive or until they run out of tokens. Games on consoles or PCs can be referred to as "arcade games" if they share these qualities, or are direct ports of arcade games.

Arcade racing games often have sophisticated motion simulator arcade cabinets,[26][27] a simplified physics engine, and short learning time when compared with more realistic racing simulations. Cars can turn sharply without braking or understeer, and the AI rivals are sometimes programmed so they are always near the player with a rubberband effect. Other types of arcade-style games include music games (particularly rhythm games), and mobile and casual games with intuitive controls and short sessions.

Action

The term "arcade game" can refer to an action video game designed to play similarly to an arcade game with frantic, addictive gameplay.[28] The focus of arcade action games is on the user's reflexes, and many feature very little puzzle-solving, complex thinking, or strategy skills. These include fighting games often played with an arcade controller, beat 'em up games including fast-paced hack and slash games, and light gun rail shooters and "bullet hell" shooters with intuitive controls and rapidly increasing difficulty.

Many arcade combat flight simulators have sophisticated hydraulic motion simulator cabinets,[26][27] and simplified physics and handling. Arcade flight games are meant to have an easy learning curve, in order to preserve their action component. Increasing numbers of console flight video games, such as Crimson Skies, Ace Combat, and Secret Weapons Over Normandy indicate the falling of manual-heavy flight sim popularity in favor of instant arcade flight action.[29]

A modern subgenre of action games called "hack and slash" or "character action games" represent an evolution of traditional arcade action games, and are sometimes considered a subgenre of beat 'em up brawlers. This subgenre of games was largely defined by Hideki Kamiya, creator of the Devil May Cry and Bayonetta franchises.[30]

Industry

Arcade games are found in restaurants, bowling alleys, college campuses, video rental shops, dormitories, laundromats, movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls, airports, and other retail environments. They are popular in public places where people are likely to have free time.[31]

Their profitability is expanded by the popularity of conversions of arcade games for home-based platforms. In 1997, WMS Industries (parent company of Midway Games) reported that if more than 5,000 arcade units are sold, at least 100,000 home version units will be sold.[32]

The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) is a trade association established in 1981[33] that represents the American coin-operated amusement machine industry,[34] including 120 arcade game distributors and manufacturers.[35] The Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association (JAMMA) represents the Japanese arcade industry.

Conversions, emulators, and recreations

Prior to the 2000s, successful video games were often converted to a home video game console or home computer. Many of the initial Atari VCS games, for example, were conversions of Atari's success arcade games. Arcade game manufacturers that were not in the home console or computer business found licensing of their games to console manufacturers to be a successful business model, as console manufacturer competitors would vie for rights to more popular games. Coleco famously bested Atari to secure the rights to convert Nintendo's Donkey Kong, which it subsequently included as a pack-in game for the ColecoVision to challenge the VCS.[36]

Arcade conversions typically had to make concessions for the lower computational power and capabilities of the home console, such as limited graphics or alterations in gameplay. Such conversions had mixed results. The Atari VCS conversion of Space Invaders was considered the VCS's killer application, helping to quadruple the VCS sales in 1980.[37] In contrast, the VCS conversion of Pac-Man in 1982 was highly criticized for technical flaws due to VCS limitations such as flickering ghosts and simplified gameplay. Though Pac-Man was the best-selling game on the VCS, it eroded consumer confidence in Atari's games and partially contributed to the 1983 crash.[38]

The need for arcade conversions began to wane as arcade game manufacturers like Nintendo, Sega, and SNK entered the home console market and used similar technology within their home consoles as found at the arcade, negating the need to simplify the game. Concessions still may be made for a home release; notably, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System conversion of Mortal Kombat removed much of the gore from the arcade version to meet Nintendo's quality control standards.[39]

Exact copies of arcade video games can be run through emulators such as MAME on modern devices. An emulator is an application that translates foreign software onto a modern system, in real-time. Emulated games appeared legally and commercially on the Macintosh in 1994[40][41] with Williams floppy disks, Sony PlayStation in 1996, and Sega Saturn in 1997 with CD-ROM compilations such as Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits and Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1, and on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube with DVD-ROM compilations such as Midway Arcade Treasures. Arcade games are downloaded and emulated through the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console service starting in 2009.

Using emulation, companies like Arcade1Up have produced at-scale or reduced-scale recreations of arcade cabinets using modern technology, such as LCD monitors and lightweight construction. These cabinets are typically designed to resemble the original arcade game cabinets, but may also support multiple related games. These cabinets can be offered in diverse and miniaturized styles, such as table-mounted and wall-mounted versions.[42]

Highest-grossing
See also: Golden age of arcade video games

For arcade games, success is usually judged by either the number of arcade hardware units sold to operators, or the amount of revenue generated. The revenue can include the coin drop earnings from coins (such as quarters, dollars, or 100 yen coins) inserted into machines,[43] and/or the earnings from hardware sales with each unit costing thousands of dollars. Most of the revenue figures listed below are incomplete as they only include hardware sales revenue, due to a lack of available data for coin drop earnings which typically account for the majority of a hit arcade game's gross revenue. This list only includes arcade games that either sold more than 10,000 hardware units or generated a revenue of more than $10 million. Most of the games listed were released between the golden age of arcade video games (1978–1984) and the 1990s.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Game Release year Hardware units sold Estimated gross revenue
(US$ without inflation)		 Estimated gross revenue
(US$ with 2021 inflation)[44]
Pac-Man 1980 400,000 (until 1982)[45] $6 billion (until 1982)[46][47] $16.8 billion
Space Invaders 1978 750,000 (until 1979)[48] $3.8 billion (until 1982)[49] $15.8 billion
Street Fighter II 1991 221,000+ (until 1995)[n 1] $5.31 billion+ (until 1999)[54] $10.6 billion
Donkey Kong 1981 132,000 (until 1982)[n 2] $280 million (until 1982)
(US hardware sales)[58]		 $830 million
(US hardware sales)
Ms. Pac-Man 1982 125,000 (until 1988)[59][60] $1.5 billion (until 1995)[61] $3.1 billion
Asteroids 1979 100,000 (until 2001)[60][62] $800 million (until 1991)[63][64] $2.38 billion
Defender 1981 70,000 (until 2020)[65] $1.5 billion (until 2020)[65] $2.26 billion
Print Club (Purikura) 1995 45,000 (until 1997)[66] $1 billion (until 1997)[67] $1.78 billion
Centipede 1981 55,988 (until 1991)[68] $115.65 million
(hardware sales until 1991)[68]		 $230 million
(hardware sales)
Galaxian 1979 50,000 (in the US until 1982)[69]
Virtua Fighter 1993 40,000+ (until 1996)[70]
Virtua Fighter 2 1994 40,000+ (until 1996)[71]
Tekken 2 1995 40,000 (until 1996)[72]
Starhorse2 2005 38,614 (until 2009)[n 3] $59.321 million (until 2011)
(Fifth Expansion)[n 4]		 $82.3 million
(Fifth Expansion)
Hyper Olympic (Track & Field) 1983 38,000 (1983 in Japan)[80]
Tekken 3 1996 35,000 (in 1997)[81]
Donkey Kong Jr. 1982 30,000 (1982 in the US)[82]
Mr. Do! 1982 30,000 (1982 in the US)[83]
Karate Champ 1984 30,000 (in the US until 1985)[84]
Out Run 1986 30,000 (until 1994)[85] $100 million+ (cabinet sales)[86] $250 million (cabinet sales)
Final Fight 1989 30,000 (until 1991)[87]
Virtua Fighter 3 1996 30,000 (until 1997)[81]
NBA Jam 1993 20,000 (until 2013)[88] $2 billion (until 2013)[89] $3 billion
World Club Champion Football 2002 2,479 (until 2009)[n 6] $706.014 million (until 2012)[94] $1.06 billion
Mortal Kombat II 1993 27,000 (until 2002)[95] $600 million (until 2002)[96] $976 million
Frogger 1981 $135 million+(US hardware sales)[97] $402 million
(US hardware sales)
Tempest 1981 29,000 (until 1983)[98] $62.408 million
(hardware sales until 1991)[68]		 $124 million
(hardware sales)
Q*bert 1982 25,000 (until 2001)[99]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 25,000 (US & EU until May 1990)[100][101]
Beatmania 1997 25,000 (until 2000)[102] $12.4 million (until 1998)
(Japan hardware sales)[n 8]		 $20.9 million
(Japan hardware sales)
Mortal Kombat 1992 24,000 (until 2002)[95] $570 million (until 2002)[95] $859 million
Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors 1994 24,000[104]
Robotron: 2084 1982 23,000 (until 1983)[98]
Pole Position 1982 21,000 (in the US until 1983)[98] $60.933 million (until 1983)[98][68]
(US hardware sales)		 $171 million
(US hardware sales)
Dig Dug 1982 22,228[68] (in the US until 1983)[105] $46.3 million (until 1983)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $130 million
(US hardware sales)
Popeye 1982 20,000 (in the US until 1982)[57]
Vs. Super Mario Bros. 1986 20,000 (1986)[106]
Pump It Up 1999 20,000 (until 2005)[107]
Tekken Tag Tournament 1999 19,000 (until 2000)[108]
Jungle Hunt 1982 18,000 (in the US until 1983)[105]
Raiden 1990 17,000[109]
Killer Instinct 1994 17,000[110] $125 million+[111] $229 million+
Pokémon Mezastar 2020 $187 million+ (until 2021)[112] $187 million+
Dragon's Lair 1983 16,000 (until 1983)[113][114] $68.8 million
(hardware sales until 1983)[113][115]		 $187 million
(hardware sales)
Asteroids Deluxe 1981 22,399 (until 1999)[116] $46.1 million
(hardware sales until 1999)[116]		 $75 million
(hardware sales)
Missile Command 1980 19,999 (until 2010)[117] $36.8 million
(hardware sales until 1991)[116]		 $73.2 million
(hardware sales)
Berzerk 1980 15,780 (until 1981)[118]
Scramble 1981 15,136 (until 1981)[118]
Champion Baseball 1983 15,000 (in Japan until June 1983)[119]
Mushiking: King of the Beetles 2003 13,500 (until 2005)[120] $530 million (until 2007)[n 9] $781 million
Battlezone 1980 15,122 (until 1999)[116] $31.2 million
(hardware sales until 1999)[116]		 $50.8 million
(hardware sales)
Stargate 1981 15,000 (until 1983)[98]
Space Duel 1982 12,038 (until 1991)[68]
Mahjong Fight Club 3 2004 13,000 (until 2004)[121]
Super Cobra 1981 12,337 (until 1981)[118]
Capcom Bowling 1988 12,000 (until 1991)[122]
Sega Rally Championship 1994 12,000[123]
Oshare Majo: Love and Berry 2004 10,300 (until 2006)[75][124] $302.68 million (until 2007)[n 10] $434 million
Double Dragon 1987 10,000+ (US in 1988)[125]
Street Fighter 1987 10,000+ (until 1991)[126]
Dance Dance Revolution 1998 10,000+ (until 1999)[127]
Wheels / Wheels II (Speed Race) 1974 10,000 (1975 in the US)[128]
Gee Bee 1978 10,000[129]
Big Buck Hunter Pro 2006 10,000 (until 2009)[130][131]
World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs 2008 1,689 (until 2009)[n 5] $150.1 million (until 2012)[n 7] $189 million
Pokémon Battrio 2007 $125 million+ (until 2012)[112] $163 million+
StarHorse3 Season I: A New Legend Begins 2011 $132.18 million (until 2012)[n 11] $159 million
Pokémon Tretta 2012 $125 million+ (until 2014)[112] $148 million+
Border Break 2009 2,998 (until 2009)[79] $107 million (until 2012)[n 12] $135 million
Tron 1982 800 (in the US until 1982)[133] $45 million (until 1983)[134] $102 million
Sengoku Taisen 2010 $94.04 million (until 2012)[n 13] $117 million
Pokémon Ga-Olé 2016 $92 million+ (until 2018)[112] $104 million+
Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road 2007 $78.2 million (until 2008)[n 14] $102 million
Samba de Amigo 1999 3,000 (until 2000)[137] $47.11 million (until 2000)[138] $76.6 million
Sangokushi Taisen 3 2007 $54.4 million (until 2011)[n 15] $71.1 million
Pong 1972 8,500–19,000[139][140] $11 million (until 1973)[141] $67.1 million
Lord of Vermilion 2008 $50.443 million (until 2008)[n 16] $63.5 million
Sega Network Mahjong MJ4 2008 12,892 (until 2009)[142] $47 million (until 2010)[n 17] $59.2 million
Kangaroo 1982 9,803[68] (until 1983)[105] $20.58 million (until 1983)
(US hardware sales)[68]		 $57.8 million
(US hardware sales)
Hard Drivin' 1989 3,318 (until 1989)[68] $22.9 million (until 1989)[68] $50.1 million
Gauntlet 1985 7,848 (until 1985)[68] $18.01 million (until 1985)[68] $45.4 million
Sega Network Mahjong MJ5 2011 $34.87 million (until 2012)[n 18] $42 million
Millipede 1982 9,990 (until 1991)[68] $20.669 million (until 1991)[68] $41.1 million
Race Drivin' 1990 3,525 (until 1991)[68] $20.03 million (until 1991)[68] $39.8 million
Breakout 1976 15,000 (until 1981)[145] $12.045 million
(hardware sales until 1981)[116]		 $35.9 million
Time Traveler 1991 $18 million (until 1991)[115] $35.8 million
Space Ace 1984 $13 million (until 1984)[115] $33.9 million
Xevious 1982 5,295 (in the US until 1983)[68] $11.1 million (until 1983)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $31.2 million
(US hardware sales)
Atari Football 1978 11,306 (until 1999)[116] $17.266 million (until 1999)[116] $28.1 million
Final Lap 1987 1,150 (in the US until 1988)[68] $9.5 million (until 1988)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $22.7 million
(US hardware sales)
Paperboy 1984 3,442 (until 1991)[68] $8.6 million (until 1991)[68] $17.1 million
Star Wars 1983 12,695 (until 1991)[68] $7.595 million (until 1991)[68] $15.1 million
Sprint 2 1976 8,200 (until 1999)[116] $12.669 million (until 1999)[116] $20.6 million
Championship Sprint 1986 3,595 (until 1991)[68] $8.26 million (until 1991)[68] $16.4 million
Pole Position II 1983 2,400 (in the US until 1983)[68] $7.43 million (until 1983)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $20.2 million
(US hardware sales)
Sea Wolf 1976 10,000 (until 2000)[146]
Lunar Lander 1979 4,830 (until 1999)[116] $8.19 million (until 1999)[116] $13.3 million
Super Sprint 1986 2,232 (until 1999)[116] $7.8 million (until 1999)[116] $12.7 million
Marble Madness 1984 4,000 (until 1985)[147] $6.3 million (until 1991)[68] $12.5 million
Rolling Thunder 1986 2,406 (in the US until 1987)[68] $4.8 million (until 1987)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $11.9 million
(US hardware sales)
Arabian 1983 1,950 (in the US until 1983)[105] $3.9 million (until 1983)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $10.6 million
(US hardware sales)

Franchises

These are the combined hardware sales of at least two or more arcade games that are part of the same franchise. This list only includes franchises that have sold at least 5,000 hardware units or grossed at least $10 million revenues.

Franchise Original release year Total hardware units sold Estimated gross revenue
(US$ without inflation)		 Estimated gross revenue
(US$ with 2021 inflation)[44]
Pac-Man 1980 526,412 (until 1988)[n 19] $6 billion (until 1982)[148] $17 billion
Space Invaders 1978 750,000 (until 1980)[48] $3.8 billion (until 1982)[49] $15.8 billion
Street Fighter 1987 500,000 (until 2002)[149][150] $5.31 billion+ (until 1999)[54] $10.6 billion
Pac-Man clones 1980 300,000 (until 2002)[151]
Street Fighter clones 1987 200,000+[51]
Mario 1981 190,800 (until 1983)[n 20] $280 million (until 1982)
(US hardware sales)[58]		 $835 million
(US hardware sales)
Donkey Kong 1981 167,000 (until 1983)[n 2] $280 million (until 1982)
(US hardware sales)[58]		 $835 million
(US hardware sales)
Asteroids 1979 136,437 (until 1999)[n 21] $850.79 million (until 1999)[n 22] $1.38 billion
Virtua Fighter 1993 110,000+[lower-alpha 1]
Golden Tee Golf 1989 100,000 (until 2011)[152]
Data Carddass 2005 100,000 (until 2012)[153]
Tekken 1994 94,000+[lower-alpha 2]
Defender 1981 85,000 (until 2020)[n 23] $1.5 billion (until 2020)[65] $2.26 billion
Centipede 1981 65,978 (until 1991)[n 24] $136.3 million (until 1991)[n 25] $271 million
Mortal Kombat 1992 51,000 (until 2002)[95] $1.17 billion (until 200)[95][96] $1.76 billion
Galaxian 1979 50,986 (in the US until 1988)[n 26]
Pokémon arcade games 2007 $530 million+ (until 2021)[112] $700 million+
Starhorse 2000 38,734 (until 2009)[n 27] $191.501 million (until 2012)[n 28] $301 million
Bemani 1997 35,000+ (until 2000)[n 29] $12.4 million (until 1998)
(Beatmania hardware sales in Japan)[n 8]		 $20.9 million
(Beatmania hardware sales in Japan)
Big Buck 2000 33,500 (until 2010)[n 30]
Mr. Do! 1982 30,000 (in the US until 1982)[83]
Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road 2007 $78.2 million (until 2008)[n 14] $102 million
Lord of Vermilion 2008 $50.443 million (until 2008)[n 16] $63.5 million
Scramble 1981 27,473 (until 1981)[118]
Sega Network Mahjong 2000 25,986 (until 2006)[n 32]
  • Sega Network Mahjong MJ3 from April 2005 to March 2006: 7,608 units[73]
  • Sega Network Mahjong MJ4 from April 2007 to March 2009: 12,892[n 33]

</ref>

 $81.87 million (until 2012)[n 34] $129 million
Darkstalkers 1994 27,000+[104]
Pole Position 1982 24,550 (in the US until 1983)[n 35] $77.9 million (until 1988)
(US hardware sales)[n 36]		 $219 million
(US hardware sales)
Dig Dug 1982 22,228[68] (in the US until 1983)[105] $46.3 million (until 1983)[68]
(US hardware sales)		 $130 million
(US hardware sales)
Pump It Up 1999 20,000 (until 2005)[107]
Breakout 1976 15,805 (until 1999)[116] $17.745 million (until 1999)[116] $28.9 million
Star Wars 1983 14,039 (until 1991)[68] $9.275 million (until 1983)[68] $18.5 million
Sprint 1976 14,027 (until 1999)[116] $28.729 million (until 1999)[116] $46.7 million
Mushiking 2003 13,500 (until 2005)[120] $530 million (until 2007)[n 9] $781 million
Sea Wolf 1976 14,000 (until 2000)[146]
Mahjong Fight Club 2002 13,000 (until 2004)[121]
Gauntlet 1985 11,368 (until 1991)[68] $20.41 million (until 1991)[68] $40.6 million
Love and Berry 2004 10,300 (until 2006)[75] $302.68 million (until 2007)[n 10] $434 million
Sangokushi Taisen 2005 9,929 (until 2008)[n 38] $148.44 million (until 2012)[n 39] $206 million
Pong 1972 8500–19,000[139][140] $11 million (until 1973)[141] $67.1 million
Hard Drivin' 1989 6,843 (until 1991)[68] $42.93 million (until 1991)[68] $75.48 million
Samba de Amigo 1999 3,000 (until 2000)[137] $47.11 million (until 2000)[n 40] $76.6 million
Border Break 2009 2,998 (until 2009)[79] $107 million (until 2012)[n 12] $135 million
World Club Champion Football 2012 2,479 (until 2015)[n 6] $706.014 million (until 2012)[n 41] $1.06 billion

See also
  • Claw crane
  • JAMMA
  • List of arcade video games
  • Medal game
  • Money booth
  • Neo Geo
  • Winners Don't Use Drugs

Notes
  1. Street Fighter II:
    • Street Fighter II′: Champion Edition – 160,000+
      • Japan: 140,000[50]
      • United States: 20,000+[51]
    • Street Fighter II: The World Warrior – 60,000+[52]
    • Super Street Fighter II – 1,000+ (US launch)[53]
  2. Donkey Kong:
    • Japan:
    • United States:
      • 67,000 of Donkey Kong.[56]
      • 30,000 of Donkey Kong Jr. and 5000 of Donkey Kong 3.[57]
  3. StarHorse2:
    • From April 2005 to March 2007: 18,079 units
      • StarHorse2: New Generation – 7,819 units from April 2005 to June 2006 (6,020 units in fiscal year ended March 2006,[73] and 1,799 units during April–June 2006)[74]
      • StarHorse2: Second Fusion – 10,260 units from April 2006 to March 2007 (8,105 conversion kits during April–December 2006,[75] and 2,155 body and satellite units in fiscal year ending March 2007)[76]
    • From April 2007 to March 2008: 10,275 units (756 body and satellite units of StarHorse2: Second Fusion during April–September 2007,[77] and 9,519 conversion kits in fiscal year ended March 2008)[78]
    • From April 2009 to December 2009: 10,657 units of StarHorse2: Fifth Expansion[79]
  4. StarHorse2: Fifth Expansion:
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2010: ¥2.8 billion
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2011: ¥2 billion
    • Currency conversion:
      • ¥2.8 billion = $34.6039 million
      • ¥2 billion = $24.7171 million
  5. World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs
    • World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs 2006–2007 – 831 units from June 2008 to March 2009[132]
    • World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs 2008–2009 – 858 units from April 2009 to December 2009[79]
  6. World Club Champion Football series, unit sales:
    • World Club Champion Football: European Clubs 2004–2005 – 514 units in fiscal year ending March 2006[73]
    • World Club Champion Football: European Clubs 2004–2005 Ver. 2 – 276 units during April–September 2006 (240 satellite units during April–June 2006,[90] and 36 body units during April–September 2006)[74]
    • World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs 2008–2009 – 1,689 units from June 2008 to December 2009[n 5]
  7. World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2010: ¥4.2 billion
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2011: ¥3.8 billion
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2012: ¥3.6 billion
    • 1st quarter ended 30 June 2012: ¥0.5 billion
    • Currency conversion:
      • ¥4.2 billion = $51.9159 million
      • ¥3.8 billion = $46.9716 million
      • ¥3.6 billion = $44.8253 million
      • ¥0.5 billion = $6.3784 million
  8. Beatmania:
    • ¥1 billion in May 1998[103]
    • Yen-Dollar currency conversion: $12.4 million[93]
  9. Mushiking:
    • 420 million[156] 100 yen coins[157] = ¥42 billion
    • Currency conversion: $530 million[93]
  10. Love and Berry:
    • 240 million[156] 100 yen coins[157] = ¥24 billion
    • Currency conversion: $302.68 million[93]
  11. StarHorse3 Season I: A New Legend Begins
    • Fiscal year ended March 2012: ¥10.1 billion
    • 1st Quarter Ended 30 June 2012: ¥0.5 billion
    • Currency conversion:
      • ¥10.1 billion = $125.8 million
      • ¥0.5 billion = $6.3784 million
  12. Border Break:
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2010: ¥3.3 billion[143]
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2011: ¥2.5 billion[158]
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2012: ¥2.3 billion[144][159]
    • 1st Quarter Ended 30 June 2012: ¥0.5 billion[160]
    • Currency conversion:[93]
      • ¥3.3 billion = $40.7317 million
      • ¥2.5 billion = $30.8542 million
      • ¥2.3 billion = $28.6371 million
      • ¥0.5 billion = $6.3784 million
  13. Sengoku Taisen:
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2011: ¥6.4 billion
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2012: ¥1.2 billion
    Currency conversion:
    • ¥6.4 billion = $79.1 million
    • ¥1.2 billion = $14.94 million
  14. Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road
    • ¥4.5 billion from June 2007 to March 2008[135]
      • Currency conversion: $56.731 million[93]
    • ¥1.7 billion from April 2008 to September 2008[136]
      • Currency conversion: $21.4317 million[93]
  15. Sangokushi Taisen 3:
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2010: ¥1.8 billion
    • Fiscal year ended 31 March 2011: ¥2.6 billion
    • Currency conversion:
      • ¥1.8 billion = $22.2401 million
      • ¥2.6 billion = $32.1248 million
  16. Lord of Vermilion: ¥4 billion[136]
    • Currency conversion: $50.443 million[93]
  17. Fiscal year ended 31 March 2010: ¥3.8 billion[143]
    • Currency conversion: $47 million[93]
  18. Fiscal year ended March 2012: ¥2.8 billion[144]
    • Currency conversion: $34.87 million[93]
  19. Pac-Man series:
    • Pac-Man: 400,000[45]
    • Ms. Pac-Man: 125,000[59]
    • Pac-Mania: 1,412[68]
  20. Mario series:
  21. Asteroids series:
    • Asteroids: 100,000[62]
    • Asteroids sequels:[116]
      • Asteroids Deluxe: 22,399
      • Space Duel: 12,038
      • Blasteroids: 2,000
  22. Asteroids series:
    • Asteroids: $800 million in 1991[63]
    • Asteroids sequels:
      • Asteroids Deluxe: $46.1 million in 1999[116]
      • Blasteroids: $4.69 million in 1991[68]
  23. Defender series:
  24. Centipede series:[98][68] Millipede: 9,990
  25. Centipede series:[68] Millipede: $20.669 million
  26. Galaxian series:
    • Galaxian: 50,000 in the US[69]
    • Galaga '88: 986 in the US[68]
  27. StarHorse series:
    • Starhorse Progress – 120 in fiscal year ended March 2005[154]
    • StarHorse2 – 38,614 until 2009[n 3]
  28. Starhorse series, 2009–2011:
    • Starhorse2 – $59.321 million[n 4]
    • StarHorse3 Season I: A New Legend Begins – $132.18 million[n 11]
  29. Bemani series, sales:
    • Beatmania as of 2000: 25,000[102]
    • Dance Dance Revolution as of 1999: 10,000+[127]
  30. Big Buck series:
    • Big Buck Hunter series sales until April 2007: 22,500 units, including 7,500 Big Buck Hunter Pro units.[131]
    • Series sales after April 2007 until September 2009: additional 2,500 Big Buck Hunter Pro units and 5,500 Big Buck Safari units.[130]
    • Big Buck Hunter Pro: Open Season sales from September 2009 to January 2010: 3,000 units[155]
  31. Sega Network Mahjong MJ2:
    • April 2004 to March 2005: 4,984
    • April 2005 to June 2005: 502<ref name='sega_jun05'>"FY2005 1Q Results: Amusement Machine Sales" (PDF). FY2005 1Q Business Results (April–June 2005). Sega Sammy Holdings. 4 August 2005. p. 6.
  32. Sega Network Mahjong MJ series:
    • Sega Network Mahjong MJ2 from April 2004 to June 2005: 5,486 units[n 31]
  33. Sega Network Mahjong MJ4:
    • Fiscal year ended March 2008: 10,427[78]
    • Fiscal year ended March 2009: 2,465[132]
  34. Sega Network Mahjong MJ series, 2009–2012:
    • Sega Network Mahjong MJ4: $47 million in fiscal year 2010[n 17]
    • Sega Network Mahjong MJ5: $34.87 million in fiscal year 2012[n 18]
  35. Pole Position series US sales:
    • Pole Position: 21,000[98]
    • Pole Position sequels:[68]
      • Pole Position II: 2,400
      • Final Lap: 1,150
  36. Pole Position series US sales:[98][68]
    • Pole Position: $60.933 million in 1983
    • Pole Position II: $7.43 million in 1983
    • Final Lap: $9.5 million in 1988
  37. Sangokushi Taisen:
    • As of March 2005: 421
    • April 2005 to March 2006: 1,521
  38. Sangokushi Taisen series:
    • Sales from January 2005 to September 2006: 5,153 units
      • Sangokushi Taisen from January 2005 to March 2006: 1,942 units[n 37]
      • Sangokushi Taisen 2 during April–September 2006: 3,211 units[74]
    • Sales from April 2007 to March 2008: 4,776
      • 166 body units of Sangokushi Taisen 2 during April–September 2007[77]
      • 4,610 satellite units of Sangokushi Taisen from April 2007 to March 2008[78]
  39. Sangokushi Taisen series, 2009–2011:
    • Sangokushi Taisen 3: $54.4 million[n 15]
    • Sengoku Taisen: $94.04 million[n 13]
  40. Samba de Amigo: ¥3.84 billion
    • Currency conversion: $47.11 million[93]
  41. World Club Champion Football series, revenue:
    • Series revenues until March 2009 – $552.3 million
      • 480 million player cards sold. Prices could range from ¥300 for a single card from an arcade machine to ¥1000 for a starter pack.[91] A¥1000 starter pack consists of 11 player cards, equivalent to ¥90.91 each.[92] Total revenues from player card sales thus range from ¥43.64 billion (at ¥90.91 per card) to ¥144 billion (at ¥300 per card). In US dollars, this is equivalent to a range of $552.3 million to $1.82244 billion.[93] The lowest value of $552.3 million will be assumed.
    • World Club Champion Football: Intercontinental Clubs revenues from April 2009 to June 2012 – $150.1 million[n 7]
  1. Virtua Fighter series arcade unit sales:
    • Virtua Fighter – 40,000 (as of 1996)[70]
    • Virtua Fighter 2 – 40,000+ (as of 1996)[71]
    • Virtua Fighter 3 – 30,000 (as of 1997)[81]
  2. Tekken series arcade unit sales:

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    • United States: 67,000 of Donkey Kong
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    • United States: 30,000 of Donkey Kong Jr. and 5000 of Donkey Kong 3.[57]
  83. Steve L. Kent (2001). The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond : the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world. Prima. p. 352. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4. In 1982, Universal Sales made arcade history with a game called Mr Do! Instead of selling dedicated Mr Do! machines, Universal sold the game as a kit. The kit came with a customized control panel, a computer board with Mr Do! read-only memory (ROM) chips, stickers that could be placed on the side of stand-up arcade machines for art, and a plastic marquee. It was the first game ever sold as a conversion only. According to former Universal Sales western regional sales manager Joe Morici, the company sold approximately 30,000 copies of the game in the United States alone.
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