The Wii was a console unlike any other. It shaped Nintendo’s success in the new millennium, granting the company numerous opportunities to innovate and experiment. Some of the most popular games on the Wii were titles that took advantage of motion controls alongside the console’s custom Mii avatars and multiplayer-friendly capabilities. This influence can be seen in the Wii U’s very concept and even in some aspects of the Switch, partially thanks to party games under the console’s name. The best Wii series games have sold copies numbering in the tens of millions, creating an entire subgenre that no other franchise could easily replicate.
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The 10 Best Wii Series Games of All Time Ranked by Copies Sold
10. Wii Play: Motion
9. Wii Party U
8. Wii Music
7. Nintendo Switch Sports
6. Wii Party
5. Wii Fit Plus
4. Wii Fit
3. Wii Play
2. Wii Sports Resort
1. Wii Sports
10. Wii Play: Motion — 1.64 Million Copies Sold
For players that didn’t take advantage of Wii Sports Resort or Skyward Sword, Wii Play: Motion offered fans an alternative game to use the Wii MotionPlus accessory on. It’s not exactly a massive title, but it’s a fine appetizer for anyone looking to duel others in simple party games. Like its predecessor, Motion usually came with a Wii Remote — in this case, one with the additional Wii MotionPlus embedded within — making it a fantastic way to purchase new controllers for friends or family. It was unfortunately redundant thanks to other games offering more overall, but those who loved the original Wii Play would still likely have a blast with Motion.
9. Wii Party U — 1.79 Million Copies Sold
As the designated “family game” of the Wii U, Wii Party U fulfills its purpose well. Like other games on the console, it took advantage of the Wii U’s GamePad to allow different styles of play depending on who was using it. Some copies of this game also included a Wii Remote Plus, but it was possible to play with two players by using nothing more than the GamePad. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near as popular as its predecessor, but Wii Party U is another great choice for all-ages fun.
8. Wii Music — 2.86 Million Copies Sold
After its particularly embarrassing E3 debut, Wii Music ended up overshadowed by many other Wii-original titles. It offered an interesting new use for motion controls, letting players try out various virtual instruments with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. They could play around with popular hits and classical pieces alongside a selection of tracks from Nintendo games. That was pretty much all the game offered on its own, though, leading to a very small percentage of Wii owners being genuinely interested in Wii Music.
7. Nintendo Switch Sports — ~4.84 Million Copies Sold
Though it lacks “Wii” in the title, Nintendo Switch Sports builds off of groundwork laid out by Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. It offers classic modes such as Tennis and Bowling alongside new ones like Badminton and reworked games like Chambara. It also features online play, allowing fans to face off against hundreds of others around the world.
Unfortunately, Switch Sports strips down a lot of the bonus content from older titles. Other changes like the new Sportsmates and the removal of easter eggs like the ever-famous backwards bowling throw makes the game feel much less charming overall. It’ll give you a rush if you’ve been craving Wii Sports with online capabilities, but it falls flat when compared to its predecessor in almost every other way. This distinction is present even in sales; Switch Sports might have still sold a lot of copies, but it likely won’t reach the same levels of the original even outside of pricing reasons.
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6. Wii Party — 9.35 Million Copies Sold
The original Wii Party provided an interesting alternative for Mario Party fans, replacing the ever-popular Mushroom Kingdom characters and locales with Miis in more realistic locations. It offered a couple of different modes centered around minigames, with some placing heavy emphasis on which Miis were used. Of all the Wii titles out there, Wii Party is particularly robust, providing plenty of varied playstyles for fans to enjoy many times over.
5. Wii Fit Plus — 21.13 Million Copies Sold
This enhanced alternative to the original Wii Fit is a dream for those wishing to lose some weight. It added new minigames and an alternative interface to give players an easier time in their fitness journey. Outside of these additions, there isn’t much that can be said about this newer version that doesn’t apply to the original. The only reason why it’s slightly less popular is probably because a lot of people already owned its predecessor…and for very good reason.
4. Wii Fit — 22.67 Million Copies Sold
The original Wii Fit is perhaps the most well-known video game all about exercising. While nothing about it is particularly intense, it still introduced many people to the concept of playing games by simply moving their body. It became an incredible success in almost no time at all, inspiring plenty of other titles that weren’t even part of the Wii series like
3. Wii Play — 28.02 Million Copies Sold
Wii Play was never a very major game. It was another simple way the Wii could showcase its motion control capabilities with more than one player. However, it was also one of the earliest games released for the console, and it gave players a chance to get an entire game alongside a new Wii Remote at a very affordable cost. It’s hardly worth purchasing today thanks to its overall lack of content, but it still has its merit in showing why bundling hardware with software is almost always a good thing.
2. Wii Sports Resort — 33.14 Million Copies Sold
Since its predecessor was a pack-in title with many copies of the console, Wii Sports Resort needed its own distinction to justify its asking price. It delivered by including over double the amount of sports alongside new locales and a brand-new gimmick in the form of Wii MotionPlus. It’s very hard to argue against this game being outright better than the original, even putting the changes of Nintendo Switch Sports into perspective by comparison. For anyone interested in the console’s greatest hits, there are few titles more important to have than Wii Sports Resort.
1. Wii Sports — 82.9 Million Copies Sold
Even when considering its status as a pack-in title, Wii Sports sold over 80 million copies for more reasons than one. This was one of the best ways to showcase the Wii’s capabilities, allowing players to truly feel as though they were swinging golf clubs or throwing punches. The game even included a couple of extra bonus modes, letting players practice their skills in various areas like hitting home runs or smashing targets with tennis balls. Wii Sports is inarguably the most iconic game of the Wii while perhaps being one of the most iconic Nintendo titles of all time.
Final Thoughts
These Wii series titles were among the best family games Nintendo ever offered. It’s a shame that, in modern times, the company hasn’t been able to match their quality or style. Recent releases like 1-2-Switch and even Nintendo Switch Sports have abandoned the charm for the purpose of simplification, even when these original titles were already pretty simple. If Nintendo decides to revisit this family-friendly style in the future, hopefully they take a second look at the originals to rediscover why they were so beloved in the first place.