Top 10 Best Video Game Franchises of All Time

One of most iconic video game franchises of all time. Can be recognized by hardcore gamers, casual gamers, and even non gamers.

If there was no Mario, I bet you most home console video games wouldn't be a reality. Everyone looks at how good or original a game is and while that is incredibly important, you also must look at the history and their impact on the world. Mario's face is more recognizable than Mickey Mouse's. He has appeared in over 200 games. He defined a generation. He helped build Nintendo's empire that probably won't ever fall. All of his games are at least 8/10s, though his movie leaves much to be desired. He has T.V. shows, comic books, movies, and all other forms of merchandise. He may not have the greatest games, but he certainly has the most recognizable.

Why is sonic better? Mario has more likable characters and a better story (actually has one). Also it has better gameplay and more games in it, let alone more good ones. Also, Super Mario Bros. Basically saved the gaming market and before Wii Sports, was the best selling game of all time. Mario is the most notable video game character due to Mario being the best selling franchise. In fact, a test in the 90s showed that Mario was more notable than Mickey Mouse. This is my favorite franchise and it holds my favorite video game, and it shows. This should be #1 instead of that overrated Call of Duty.

Mario is honestly one of the best video game franchises ever because of how much copies it sold, you can play with your family, and their characters are awesome like Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, Bowser, etc.

Zelda is a unique franchise in that it has pioneered so many different forms of gaming. Above that, this series has meant so much to me, and for that, it deserves number one for me. Sorry Mario, but Link is just better.

Nothing will ever shake this. All y'all talking about how Grand Theft Auto and Skyrim are better, you're welcome for having Zelda CREATE THAT GENRE. Since the 80's, Zelda has been creatin high-quality and critically acclaimed games that have interesting, well-paced stories, fun characters, great dungeons, awesome boss fights, great music, amazing atmosphere, beautiful open worlds... The list goes on. The series has managed to create so many amazing games that one could get lost in forever, exploring for treasure, helping civilians, getting to know the world better, finishing sidequests... There's just so much to do! An amazing series that never gets old and will always keep everyone entertained.

Never to be equaled, The Legend of Zelda has everything it takes to be the greatest game franchise ever: awesome gameplay, wonderful graphics (even the earlier games), unique depht of plot - it has that joyful, shining feeling, but also has that melancholic one, leading the player to get envolved with it's story - and, of course, as we could never forget, the ultimate soundtrack ever. The Legend of Zelda presents us an universe of perfectly measured surrealism and plenty of possibilities, paralel quests and ways to get to know the characters. By the way, a minor The Legend of Zelda's character, like Saria or Malon, is able to mark us, while enjoying the games, because they're all fully integrated to the experience.
in my opinion, still the best game franchise ever, with all due respect to other great series, like Mario, Sonic, Bomberman and Castlevania. They all get our love and enthusiasm, but Zelda is just beyond.
We shall be very glad for Nintendo for having allowed us to ...more

What can I say about these games that hasn't already been said? Pretty much every game franchise on this list has something to borrow from Zelda. Nearly every shooter has a targeting system. Elder Scrolls and Assassins Creed are Adventure games, which Zelda establishes. And while OOT isn't my favorite game of all time, it's importance is incredible.

Pokemon is for a wide range of audiences, there is a Pokemon for everyone (girls and boys alike).
And adults can also enjoy this game, it has stratergy, story, law, awesome Pokemon etc.
In some ways it has a more mature storyline than many other games considered 'more mature'.
With it exploring meanings like animal rights (Pokemon black and white) and the balance of nature (Pokemon ruby and sapphire and ORAS).

I don't play Pokemon games or watch the anime or play the TCG. But the sheer immensity of this franchise keeps me interested. There are so many Pokemon and Pokemon types. There is also a great fanart and fanfiction community which will keep you interested for a long time. So basically this franchise will keep you interested for as long as possible.

Forget the stereotype that this is a "kids" game because regardless its one of the best series ever. Besides dominating the handheld market it has always kept people on their ds' and Gameboys for months trying to get this Pokemon to level 100. Pokémon has the most replay ability I've ever seen in a video game and has always been one of my all time favorites.

Pokemon is very fun with over 800 monsters to collect, different regions to explore and stories ranging in quality Pokemon is great and deserves its title as the highest grossing media franchise of all time.

All the best video games smashed into a big fighting game that you can play online or against your friends! Its really enjoying and fun to brag when you win!

What happens when you take Nintendo's all stars and put them in a battle to the ages...EPICNESS. This game took Mario, link, samus, and tons of others in a fighting game that's one of a kind. Awesome characters, bonus features and "trophies" that describe Nintendo's history + addicting fighting and great stages and items and you got yourself the greatest fighting game ever

I love this series so much! It's a masterpiece. Sakurai also created the Kirby series, which is another great series! This series is so much fun. Anybody can play it, and there's a character for every skill level and play style!

Best Crossover. Second is Marvel Vs Capcom obviously. It has the biggest roster and the gameplay is fun in so many ways. I love the stages, items, and music.

Sonic the Hedgehog is also very iconic, similar to mario and is easily recognized. It doesn't sell like Mario or Zelda and has had a few bad games but when its at its best this franchise is amazing.

The most influential inportant entertaining visually stunning highy engaging very charming movie like Hollywood blockbuster And the best franchise of all time from Sega Is Sonic The Hedgehog.
It has it all gameplay that is lots of fun
Bright colours that look beautiful
The best characters of all of gaming ( the blue blur is my favourite).
Sega Is the best gaming publisher/developer of all time and I thank them for carting this masterpiece.

The Sonic the Hedgehog series, with some flaws in it, has a lot to love and adore. Charming, realistically set characters in a gorgeous world with secrets, lore and exciting things to learn. Sonic himself is a very iconic character, no matter his games. He spreads out to T.V., comics, merchandise and more. Whether or not he's as good as the ol' Genesis hayday, there is no denying the power and popularity of the character and the franchise.
The games themselves, you say? Some of them are a pure delight to play. The classics, the Adventure games, the Modern games, the spin-offs, they all provide detail and joy through graphics, level design and, best of all, music. People remain worried every time a new 3D Sonic game is announced, but each and every single one of them has crazy potential to put Sonic as the next gaming titan. We just have to hope his potential is realised.
The Sonic series is something very unique, and I really hope he doesn't bend to mimic other franchises.

And then there's Sonic. I love this little guy. Sonic 3 and Knuckles, although it has some annoying areas and glitches, is one of my favorite if not my favorite game ever. I love the classics to DEATH! Although I may not like the 3D games, I still like a good few of them, and would really like a classic 3D game. Between Mario and Sonic, you'll find some of the best games ever made. Although I might have liked it in my youth, Pokémon is pretty mediocre all things considered, an it'd be a shame to see Mario fall to it. Overall, between my 2 reviews, I give these franchises 10/10s, although Sonic has some really bad games.-Brian.

The Big 3 Nintendo franchises are at the top, and will probably stay there, but at leasy keep Grand Theft Auto at 4. It is one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time. The only series more critically acclaimed than this is probably Zelda.

Come on everyone
Get over the classics and appreciate something which is next level
Grand theft auto is the best franchise currently and you know it
Even if you don't agree. The Grand Theft Auto fans got no problem. because Trevor Philips will take care of you.

The best of all. Open world games and control your character to nice, normal or criminal. And playing as Trevor its fun in Grand Theft Auto V!

I can't wait for Grand Theft Auto 6 and when Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out it will destroy the internet because of all the people buying. Right now FORNITE is number 1 just wait for Grand Theft Auto 6 people FORNITE will go to the ground.

Halo easily deserves to be in the top 5. Halo reach is one of the most amazing story's ever told and halo ce shaped fps as we know it.

I will not allow this! Halo, below call of duty!? Call of duty releases the same crap every year! With halo there is always something new, halo ce is the classic halo, halo 2 introduced playable elites and online multiplayer, halo 3 had better armor customization, halo 3 ODST introduced firefight, halo reach is by far the most unique of any halo, halo 4 did something entirely new about the campaign, halo 5 introduced the req system( which is actually pretty bad but at least it is new)! Call of duty is the same game every year!

Would pick call of duty than this but, it made me realize that the newer ones are just like halo except halo did it right and call of duty should have stayed boots on ground, also how in the new cods you can fly, more customers fly away from buying the game, unless it comes with a remaster witch lets the company activision jack you off from your money.

Halo is story that defines adventure and action in a first person shooter. Back in the days when it was young and made by Bungie (before Call of Duty in 2003) was a break through providing the first action multiplayer. Halo might have slowly lost its touch over the years due to online competition, Halo 2 (my personal favorite of the franchise) is what started the definition of online multiplayer and a stunning elaborate story of friendship and betrayal along with a great music composed by martin o'donnell and Michael salvatori. The game is way more user friendly along with not much eight year olds speaking profanity.

I have to quit black ops 3 version of Call of Duty due to my older sister forced me to play with her, also I enjoy multiplayer, the graphics are good enough, I've been playing Call of Duty a lot, Call of Duty? wow that video game had good graphics and it is the most overrated video game ever.

I really enjoy call of duty. Yes I know it's full of unloved kids who's parents bought them the game to get them out of their hair, but I still enjoy the campaign and zombies. I have been a Call of Duty fan a long time and I know the series won't last forever, but I still enjoy it. I will agree though, it doesn't take much skill. That's why I've been playing a lot of battlefield and rainbow six siege. But still call of duty is a classic I grew up with and the new MW is really good so I have some hope. But we need to band those stupid kids.

The game as a first person shooter is great, but like in every game, there's always the try-hardship that take the fun out of it. The stories are good, and takes place in various time periods.

I've played almost ever Call of Duty and whether it's campaign, multiplayer, or even zombies, the Call of Duty franchise is easily one of the best.

Kirby has consistently had good games, and that might be because it isn't as big as nintendo's other franchises. I think cash and fame was what ruined Pokemon

Kirby is not my favorite franchise, but all of the franchises that I like more than Kirby are already in the top 10. Therefore I just had to give my vote to Kirby. It is such an amazing franchise with much to see and do. To all of those who say it is too easy, complete super star or super star ultra. I dare you. As a completionist, I can admit that some Kirby games are in fact quite easy. But it's not just difficulty that makes a franchise great. Kirby games are in my opinion the culmination of fun in its purest form. It is extremely fun to use a variety of items to kill innocent victims. The gameplay, story, bosses, music, and replayability are all great. If you think Kirby is for kids, just give it a chance. I am not a kid and I have loved Kirby games most of my life. Not only are there plenty of classics to play, but there are still amazing installments being released.

A major complaint about this series is the fact that the games are 'Easy'. Well, I can state for a fact that this isn't true. To get a 100 percent completion is quite difficult. You need to collect all of the collectables, beat extra mode, and find the HAL rooms and other secrets is no easy task.

Kirby games are a great choice, be you a hardcore gamer or a newcomer. The characters are cute (mostly), the games are fun, the music is nice and cheerful, and there are so many great games in this series!

Kirby Rules!

What I hear people complain about most is how the game is easy. For the most part yes but when you have awesome final bosses and tough after game that seems to be overshadowed. Unlike other franchises there hasn't been a bad game in the whole series. I'd say it is the best franchise if your going by how good the games are on average

This is the best game franchise… EVER! His games are just so good! Mega man 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and 11 are perfect in every way with my favorites being 3 4 6 and 9

Probably the 2nd best sidescroller non-metroidvania game franchise after Mario.
I mean, you can copy other robot's abilities, beat a mad scientist (and never capture him), summon Rush to do shortcuts, try doing buster-only (excluding the mandatory usages on the Wily stages), perfect run on robot masters, etc. This franchise is challenging and fun, and almost never frustrating. (unless you want to do a buster only perfect run on the Doc Robot in MM3)

Best. video Game. Franchise. Ever. It is also a huge influence on modern shooter games today, like Halo and Call of Duty. I will never get tired of the Mega Man games. Of course, the classic series is the best.

Capcom doesn't really appreciate this amazing franchise anymore even though this franchise is the face of the company.

All the games has their pros and cons. Morrowind is my favorite though. It has very deep rpg mechanics, everything you do levels up. Skyrim has the smoothest combat system but its rpg mechanics isn't as deep as Morrowind, it feels more like an action game than an rpg. And oblivion feels like its more in between the 2.

Honestly, I'm surprised that this series didn't crack the top 5. The Elder Scrolls is a series in which anyone can become whoever they want to be, and make whatever decisions that they see fit. These games are extraordinarily extensive, easily allowing players to clock hundreds if not thousands of hours. The Elder Scrolls is my favorite series next to the Legend of Zelda. Come on, this deserves to be in a higher spot.

This is by no means my favorite video game franchise but it is a blast travelling across all of Tamriel and my actual favorite (Zelda) is already on top so my vote goes to Elder Scrolls.

This needs to be up by Mario and Zelda! In this game you can customize your character, learn spells, take dangerous quests, and do everything a fantasy based world lets you do. I must not forget the Dragons though! If I go on this will be longer than the page! BEST VIDEO GAME EVER!

Mario Kart has extremely high sales, and even though it is a sub series I believe it should be very high on the list.

The only racing game I need.
Plus Burnout Revenge if EA could make it come to the Switch.
But mostly just Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the most because you can use your own Mii's to race.

The best racing games of all time, if you dislike Mario Kart, you must be a butthurt hater.

Metroid is a fun original experience with darkness around the corner... but in a positive way! This series is one of the best, if not the best cult classic

Then, there is federation force...

This series should be higher on the list! It's immersive, it's dark, it's symbolic, it's mysterious, it's got the most badass female protagonist in history, it's...well...it's Metroid!

I wish Metroid sold better. I don't expect massive Mario, Pokemon, Zelda -esque blockbuster hits, but it would be nice to see a Metroid game dish out 5 million units.

Dangit, I voted for Pokémon, but I should have voted for Metroid. This franchise is probably one of the best if not the best. Sad thing Other M wasn't that great.

The undisputed king of video game music, and the best storytelling franchise. Final Fantasy 6,7,10, and 15 are amazing. Definitely worthy of top 3.

Why is this not in the top 10?!?!? Other then Pokemon final Fantasy is best RPG. I have never played a Final Fantasy game but they look good

Only think the franchise of Zelda is better. FF7 my third favorite game, how is this so low?!?

Needs to be top 3. Anyone who loves RPGs in their 30-40s played the first Final Fantasy game. Squaresoft was the best.

Best fighting game series ever made.

Best fighting game franchise.

Better than zelda

The best ever game franchise. The coolest mind blowing games ever. God of War had explained what a real game should be like. The God of War games are the best and should be played. It should be on number 1, but I know players other than PlayStation cannot vote this because it only works on PS systems. To experience the real gaming experience and powerful story and gameplay one should have to buy PlayStations.

God of War is still an underrated franchise and it's only carried by graphics.

This series should be in top ten!

Way better than Zelda

Greatest racing franchise of all time. Should be top 5. Even Most Wanted I still love playing!

It's the best selling racing game franchise. It should be at least in the top ten.

At least top 10 in my opinion. NFS Heat and Unbound revived the franchise!

Better than forza

The word that explains how you feel during this game is BAD ASS. Your tear out a persons spine? No probably there aren't any cops in this game so be free to tear HEADS OFF. (I am not a terrorist please don't sue me) But to put it simple, this game takes stress out. Have a guy break up with you? Post a pic of him on the screen and GO ALL OUT!

Definitely the most influential franchise of the 90's but this game is still very popular and addictive. MK rules!
Finish Him!

Sub Zero is the best and all Scorpion fans know deep down that Sub Zero is just way better

Developers listen to their fans and have been providing great entertaining games for many years which make the fans extremely happy.

This franchises produce almost ten games already, should replace for Call of Duty!

It's Battlefield, so what can I say, that isn't already said.

This is better then cod by 100 miles.

If you've played a single game in the franchise, you'd vote for this guaranteed. I played Sons of Liberty first, and even not knowing a single thing that was going on, it immediately made me know that the Metal Gear Solid series would be the best franchise I'd ever play. The stories can make you cry in each and every game. They're like movies.

Why is Metal Gear so low! The games are frequently listed as some of the best of all tIme. The stories are great(except MGS5)and somehow still relevant decades after they released. This is an injustice of the highest calibur. Unite fellow MGS fans and let us beat out Call of Duty at least!

An absolute shame that this is not at least in the top 5. Snake doesn't agree but this game proved that love can bloom on the battlefield.

Solid set a standard that no other game in the genre set: it was the first and the best.

For a new game, this is awesome! It really deserves the hype it gets. I wanted to know why everyone was talking about this and I'm glad I checked this game out! It's definitely up there with Zelda and Final Fantasy.

It has so much emotion and stories that it beats novels, not to mention kickass playing. Plus, it has disney characters and final fantasy characters. I haven't done FF yet, and I know the top two should be Grand Theft Auto under kingdom hearts, mario can be third

Amazing! So much nostalgia and it is all about the power of friendship and love

These games have been consistently great unlike many of the other higher voted franchises. The trilogy is great, but that 4th game sealed that deal. This is hands down one of the greatest video game franchises of all time and it deserves a spot on the top 10 list.

Has one of the greatest lineup of characters and the story line behind each game is fantastic! Deserves to be in the top 10!

Best all round game of all time and no other game tells the story the way it does.

Absolutely amazing, one of the several reasons why PlayStation is better!

I've completed the first game, it was kind of feneric and boring, the only level that composed for me a real challange was the bonus level they scratched from the first game because it was "too dificult" but honestly they need to make more levels like that because it makes the game fun.

Some of my all time favorites!

This is the franchise that established survival horror as a genre, later created the 3rd person over the shoulder perspective, becoming the father of modern day shooters, and has reinvented itself again taking inspiration from other games like Silent Hill and Outlast to outshine the horror and survival genre now better than EVER! And still it has a long way to go. If there is a franchise that definitely isn't afraid to try new things out and can make mistakes but learn from them and appeal to its fans it's RESIDENT EVIL!

As someone who usually doesn't care about shooting games I like this franchise a lot because it has great gameplay, great story and great characters. By good gameplay I mean yoy don't just mindlessly shoot zombies, there is strategy you have to use. The bosses are unique and fun to fight againts. It also had puzzles and puzzle is my favorite genre. I don't like Call of Duty because it's boring but this franchise never bores me. I will assure you will have fun, especially if you play with a friend.

This franchise should be higher. Resident Evil/Remake, Resident Evil 0/Remake, Resident Evil 2/Remake, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Revalation, these are (or some of them are) the best survival horror game ever and already good enough to make this franchise go higher.

Why is this number 21? It's way better than Sonic and Kirby! what is going on...