Steam is the biggest seller of PC video games in the western hemisphere. They sell an absurd number of games every year and make an absurd amount of money for both the developers and Valve, the owners of the platform. However, what were the biggest selling games of 2015 and which games made the most amount of money on Steam in 2015?
20. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
The first truly great Lord of The Rings game was received with critical acclaim as many people loved the Arkham series-like combat, the sneaking and the fun unlockables and gameplay mechanics that made you feel like a true badass.
19. Dying Light
The game that promised to have the action of Dead Island with the parkour of Mirror’s Edge and the crafting of… well Dead Island again. The game truly delivered on all those fronts and was one of the better-looking games too. With a new expandion coming out soon that takes you outside of the city and more into the meadows, we’re likely to see this game sell quite a few more copies too.
18. Sid Meier’s Civilization V
Despite having been released nearly half a decade ago now, many people are still absolutely loving CIV V and with some absolutely great deals having been given to the game over the year, it’s seen it have one of it’s best years in Steam sales to date.
17. H1Z1
Just when you thought Zombies were dead… no pun intended, H1Z1 comes out and is the 17th highest selling game of the year, truly showing that Zombie survival games still have some life left in them, if you let others play with you of course.
16. Killing Floor 2
A game that saw quite a bit of attention from YouTubers has has had many people download it and the company tries to turn the game into an eSport that people will want to watch others play.
15. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Considered one of the best RPGs of 2015 has made Dark Souls II a huge seller and has many hyped for the upcoming game in the series due to launch this year.
14. ARK: Survival Evolved
A game developed by an Indie company that had you doing some of the coolest things possible. You’re on an island, with Dinosaurs that you can tame and ride around on whilst making bases, fighting others, bettering your gear, collecting and so much more.
13. Cities: Skylines
“The Sim City that Sim City should have been” is what many marked Cities: Skylines as. The first truly great City Builder in a decade made this game an absolute hit for many and quite a few people’s choice for game of the year.
12. Football Manager 2016
The Football Manager series has been ever increasing in sales, riding off the huge sport itself and the fact the game has begun to be used by some managers to actually scout players from around the world.
11. Arma 3
Call of Duty has obviously spawned many shooters over the years and Amra 3 is one of the most successful in 2015. On top of that, Day Z is a game you may of heard of and Arma 3 is the game from which Day Z was modded.
10. Elite Dangerous
Being built based around one of the most successful games of the 90s is something that might get a lot of people hyped. The game came out and was a little bit of a letdown, as making it 3d meant actually travelling around which some people found boring.
9. Mortal Kombat X
A return to glory for the Mortal Kombat series with a great solid fighting system, some of the best finishers we’ve ever seen and some great cameos from the likes of Jason Voorhees and more to come.
8. Mad Max
After the hugely successful Mad Max: Fury Road film, the game came out and received mixed reviews with a lot of people buying it because of the great car combat and wide-open desert landscape to traverse.
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Was there any doubt that there was going to be COD in the top list? It’s dropped quite a few places over the past few years though and it’ll be interesting to see if the series can keep it up.
6. Rocket League
Rocket League was a huge phenomenon that saw all sorts of people find an absolute love for playing soccer with a car. A game that makes no sense but takes a huge amount of your time away.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
We’re a little surprised this game isn’t a little higher on the list considering when it came out and the reception it has since received. However, the 5th highest game of 2015 is no small feat for sure.
4. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The global phenomenon that is CS:GO is Steam’s fourth top selling game of 2015. With a huge eSports community and a fan base that love to collect and unlock things, this game has grown exponentially over the past year.
3. Metal Gear Solid 5
The best Metal Gear Solid ever and considered one of the best stealth games ever, Metal Gear Solid 5 is the third top selling game of 2015 on Steam and rightfully so, we feel.
2. Fallout 4
There’s no surprise that this was one of Steam’s best-selling games and has done incredibly well to come so high despite being one of the games to come out later in the year. Just shows the incredible number of sales.
1. Grand Theft Auto 5
I don’t think there’s any surprise here that the only game that could keep Fallout 4 off the top of the list is the best-selling game of all time in Grand Theft Auto 5. A game that lets you do almost anything imaginable and then take that online and do that with your friends is a game that has absolutely taken over the western hemisphere.
Throughout 2015, Valve’s total sales of games equated to around $3billion according to the independent financial data.
The top 20 selling games in the list made Valve around $650m just by themselves. The Number 1 selling games GTA V sold 3.8 million units, equating to $160 million. While Fallout 4, the second highest selling game sold 2.7 million units and amassed $12.5m. This shows a huge success for GTA.
According to the Steam Spy data, Konami’s latest blockbuster Metal Gear Solid 5 is believed to have made $41 million, while Witcher 3 brought in $38 million. Breakthrough indie hit Rocket League is estimated to have made more than $30 million.
