Take a trip down memory lane as we discover the best selling PS3 games of all time!
Sony’s PlayStation 3 console wasn’t launched or received with the near-universal acclaim and commercial success that had greeted the first two PlayStations. With the console launching a year after its competitors – and at a higher price point – it also had architecture that was difficult to get to grips with for many developers.
However, as the console’s software library grew in strength and depth, the benefits of the Blu-Ray format were taken advantage of. Evetually, the PS3 built momentum that saw it overtaking the Xbox 360 in console sales by the end of the generation.
It won’t be surprising to see that many of the games that feature on the Best Selling PS3 Games list are first party exclusives.
Still, which ones sold the most?
Without any further ado, let’s check out the Best Selling PS3 Games of All Time!
Table of Contents
10. Gran Turismo 6 (2013)
Arriving extremely late in the PlayStation 3’s lifespan, Gran Turismo 6 nonetheless still sold enough copies to make it into the top 10 Best Selling PS3 Games, with 5.06 million copies sold.
It’s another solid entry in the long-running, highly detailed and immersive driving game series. Expect 30 tracks to race on, along with an absolutely astonishing selection of 1200 cars to collect and drive!
Given how popular previous games in the series were (you can find more than one Gran Turismo game on the list of the Best Selling PS2 Games, for example!), it’s no surprise to see this one overtaking other games to sneak its way into the Top 10.
9. God of War III (2010)
This PlayStation 3 title is the last of the God of War games to focus on Greek mythology.
The sequel, simply titled God of War, arrived in 2018 on the PlayStation 4 and shifted the focus of the series to Norse mythology.
God of War III was released to universal acclaim, with the gory, hard-hitting third-person action being just as well received by players as the previous titles in the franchise.
The gameplay, visuals, music and even the sense of scale in God of War III all meant that this was a fitting, satisfying and bombastic send off for the Greek era in God of War games.
Plus the Titans are notably being bigger than the size of entire stages in other games!
Small wonder that it sold 5.2 million copies, placing it firmly in the top 10 best selling PS3 games. That’s not far from the top of our very own Best PS3 Exclusives list, as well as featuring on our Best PS3 Games list.
8. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (2007)
Released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Gran Turismo series, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was essentially an appetiser to the release of the full game, Gran Turismo 5.
However, with Gran Turismo 5 not arriving until three years after Prologue, fans lapped up this entry.
It sold an incredible 5.35 million copies too. That’s despite a much smaller selection of cars and tracks in comparison to other titles in the Gran Turismo series.
That being said, with the final update for Prologue bringing the selection of cars up to 76, it was hardly lacking on that front.
With true online multiplayer included for the first time in the series – and support for up to 16 players racing simultaneously – this was Gran Turismo brought bang up to date.
A realistic, in-car viewpoint was also a first., demonstrating the incredible attention to detail that the series was known for too.
With extensive support for steering wheels and lots of other exciting new features, Gran Turismo kept players busy while still keeping anticipation high for the long wait until the ‘real’ Gran Turismo 5 was released.
7. Batman: Arkham City (2011)
Batman: Arkham City isn’t a PlayStation exclusive. Still, it speaks volumes of the popularity of Rocksteady’s Batman games that it found its way onto the list of the Best Selling PS3 games.
Moving away from the Metroidvania-inspired design of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City took inspiration from comic book saga Batman: No Man’s Land and John Carpenter’s 1981 movie Escape from New York for its open world and plot.
The story sees a massive chunk of Gotham City turned into a walled off prison to house an increasingly large population of criminals, ne’er-do-wells and undesirables.
The city itself was a beautifully designed place, an architecturally diverse mixture of Gothic and Art Deco styles that made it feel brilliantly unique.
Batman’s range of gadgets also increased impressively from the first game. Plus, the influential, satisfyingly freeform and crunchy combat system made a return from the first game.
Everything about Arkham City felt bigger and more open than the first game, with brilliant writing, genuinely superb voice acting and phenomenal audiovisual design.
Nearly 5.5 million copies were sold on the PS3 alone. It was an artistic, critical and commercial triumph that was arguably the peak of the Arkham series.
6. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
Set five years after Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 4 sees a prematurely aging Snake take on a final mission to assassinate his nemesis, Liquid Snake.
It’s full of classic Hideo Kojima touches. We’re talking stunning audiovisual design, innovative gameplay mechanics, and lengthy cinematic sequences.
Oh, and don’t forget and an elaborate (not to mention ridiculously convoluted) plot.
This game was universally acclaimed, hugely popular and a fitting end to the main storyline of the Metal Gear series.
Heck, it’s no wonder that Metal Gear Solid 4 shifted an impressive 6 million units to plant itself firmly in the top 10 best selling PS3 games of all time.
5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
The first Uncharted game was a big success for developers Naughty Dog and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment.
It was also the start of a franchise that just kept on getting bigger and better as instalments went on.
The second game to feature treasure hunter Nathan Drake was massively successful – and for good reason.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was a hugely cinematic third-person action adventure with brilliant set-pieces, great performances from an excellent cast and stunning visuals for its day.
It genuinely felt like taking part in an Indiana Jones movie! With all of the explosive action, drama and humour that you’d expect from a major blockbuster too.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sold an amazing 6.5 million copies and was another must-have entry in Sony’s library of PlayStation exclusive titles.
4. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (2011)
Another Naughty Dog game to make it onto the Best Selling PS3 games list – and it’s another Uncharted game.
This time it’s the third game in the series, which just about outsold its predecessor with 6.6 million copies sold.
Pushing the PS3 hardware to its limits, Uncharted 3 evolved the visuals and mechanics of the series, taking it to new heights.
Though not as impressive a leap as it was to go from the first game to the second, Uncharted 3 still impressed with its visual flair and genuinely impressive cinematic feel.
Not only were the game’s stages thrilling and brilliantly acted for a video game – they wouldn’t have felt out of place in a big budget action movie.
It’s no wonder that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception won a phenomenal array of games industry awards throughout 2011 and 2012;.
Like its predecessor, it’s still rightly lauded as one of the best video games of all time.
3. The Last of Us (2013)
The third Naughty Dog game to make it to the Best Selling PS3 games list after Uncharted 2&3. The Last of Us was – and is – an absolute triumph of narrative game design and thrilling (even terrifying) gameplay.
Despite both series featuring third person action with strong narrative and cinematic elements, the mood of The Last of Us couldn’t be any different to the Uncharted games.
Where Nathan Drake’s adventures are colourful, light-hearted fun, The Last of Us is a dark and serious journey across a post-apocalyptic America.
We’re talking combat against both hostile people and cannibalistic mutants!
Naughty Dog’s strengths in motion capture performances, cinematic direction and brilliant gameplay mechanics are all on full display in The Last of Us.
This game also featured the strongest and most involving narrative of not just any Naughty Dog title up until that point, but amongst the most powerful stories of any game ever.
Unsurprisingly, the game was a phenomenal commercial success – with an astonishing 7 million sales on the PS3 – and is another game widely lauded as one of the finest of all time.
This title even appearing on our Best PS3 Horror Games list too.
2. Gran Turismo 5 (2010)
The third Gran Turismo game to make it to the Best Selling PS3 Games list, Gran Turismo 5 was long-awaited by fans. The previous game, GT4, arrived six years earlier on the PS2.
Though Gran Turismo 5 Prologue definitely kept fans going during their long wait for the full game, Gran Turismo 5 quickly became the driving game of choice for PlayStation 3 owners.
Gran Turismo 5 featured everything that the series was known for: a huge array of cars (with over 1000 available in-game), a wide selection of tracks (77 of them!) and a high level of realism and detail – both from an audiovisual and driving simulation standpoint.
Not only that, but Gran Turismo 5 also featured time and weather effects for the first time, along with real world events and licenses from the likes of the World Rally Championship, Super GT and NASCAR.
Gran Turismo 5 was also the first game to feature a damage model. This was a long overdue feature that fans of the series (and its critics) had been requesting for many years.
A track designer also made the cut this time. Add with robust online play into the mix, and this was the most fully featured Gran Turismo game yet.
It ended up shifting an absolutely mindblowing 11.95 million copies on the PS3. MADNESS!
1. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
All three Grand Theft Auto titles released on the PS2 appeared on the Best Selling PS2 games list.
Grand Theft Auto IV narrowly missed out on being included on the Best Selling PS3 games list. with 4.33 million copies sold, it placed 13th.
Even Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with 17.33 million copies sold couldn’t come close to the astonishing sales of GTA V. GTAV shifted 29.52 million copies on the PS3.
That’s not far off three times the sales of Gran Turismo 5, our number two entry on this very list!
GTA V’s story features three protagonists. Players can switch between them during missions as well as outside them.
The absolutely huge game world feels truly alive. It’s still one of the most impressive open worlds in video games, even now.
GTA V has been a true multi-generational phenomenon too . It’s just been released for the PlayStation 5 as an ‘Expanded & Enhanced’ edition, meaning that it’s appeared on three generations of PlayStation since 2013.
With more than 160 million sales in total across all formats it’s been released on, GTA V is a commercial behemoth that is only likely to be equalled by a sequel, whenever that may appear.
