There are few games that manage to reach the extremely fast pace of WarioWare. This series collects many extremely short minigames, combining them into one big package of rapidly-changing fun. Though it stars Wario as the titular character, these games have little to do with his platformer titles or even his long-time rival Mario. Instead, he simply provides the groundwork for wacky minigames players wouldn’t find anywhere else. That just makes it more interesting to see how well all WarioWare games are ranked amongst themselves in terms of copies sold. After all, these games are popular for more reasons than brand recognition.
All information was taken from VGSales. DSiWare and WiiWare titles will be excluded from this list due to the lack of sales data for those titles. Other non-WarioWare games starring Wario himself will also be excluded, as this list is only focusing on the minigame collections.
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All Games in the WarioWare Series Ranked by Copies Sold
- 9. Game & Wario
- 8. WarioWare Gold
- 7. WarioWare: D.i.Y.
- 6. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!
- 5. WarioWare: Twisted!
- 4. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
- 3. WarioWare: Get It Together!
- 2. WarioWare: Smooth Moves
- 1. WarioWare: Touched!
9. Game & Wario — ~250,000 Copies Sold
Even for a franchise with such an experimental concept, Game & Wario was quite experimental itself. It acted as a sort of tech demo for the Wii U gamepad, offering large-scale minigames rather than the microgames fans know. By the end of it all, the massive, unique minigame featuring every character in the title is…bowling. That’s not counting the additional Pyoro game at the very end, but it’s hardly anything unique.
Other minigames can offer some fun bits of gameplay, but most lack the microgames that got the series to where it is today. The only major reason for die-hard fans to come back to Game & Wario is the Gamer minigame, which plays like a more traditional WarioWare experience. But even that is made obsolete by the title that came after Game & Wario…
8. WarioWare Gold — ~280,000 Copies Sold
Despite a lack of sales, this game might be the most definitive WarioWare experience yet. It collects microgames from nearly every WarioWare title before it, redoing some with a fresh coat of paint in the form of 3D graphics. It even includes the Gamer minigame from Game & Wario, letting fans enjoy an experience they might have missed out on otherwise. If it had been released just a few years earlier, this game would undoubtedly be much higher on this list.
Unfortunately, WarioWare Gold suffered from a case of bad timing. It was released in 2018, a time when the 3DS was at the end of its life cycle and the Switch was out in full force. Even with its undeniably massive collection of microgames, the poor timing and lack of marketing led to this game not performing well at all in a similar fashion to the Bowser’s Inside Story remake. Much like with that game, however, it still provides an incredibly fun experience for any fan willing to check it out.
If you want to check this game out for yourself, be sure to do so quickly as the 3DS eShop will close in March 2023!
Buy now on Amazon or the Nintendo eShop
7. WarioWare D.i.Y. — ~507,000 Copies Sold
Like Game & Wario, WarioWare D.i.Y. was an experimental entry in the WarioWare series. What it did differently was allow players to create and share their own microgames, complete with custom music, sprites, and gameplay. This “do it yourself” game even had a companion app on the Wii, letting players showcase and enjoy custom levels on their home console.
Though this game featured its own pre-made microgames, it was still heavily focused on user-created levels. Though players could share levels with others around the world, this came out before games like Mario Maker and Dreams truly made this concept popular. It would be interesting to see a new D.i.Y. game today, simply to compare how far it might surpass its original incarnation.
6. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! — ~671,000 Copies Sold
As another multiplayer-focused handheld-home console connected title, Mega Party Game$!...didn’t have much to offer. It shared the exact same microgames as its GBA counterpart, with all of its new additions solely being multiplayer-focused. It’s far from a bad game, especially considering the additions are actually quite robust, but a game so deeply designed for a “pick up and play” mindset is at its best when focused on solo play. Future WarioWare titles would include multiplayer as well, but they were designed with it in mind from the start, which is more than what can be said about this GameCube port of the GBA title.
5. WarioWare: Twisted! — ~704,000 Copies Sold
WarioWare: Twisted! featured its own unique style of play through use of a tilt sensor. For many games, players would tilt their console in all sorts of ways to complete challenges. The title’s cartridge includes a sensor built within to allow this gimmick to work, being one of the first implementations of gyroscopic technology in the entire industry of video games. Many of its microgames were reused in WarioWare Gold with the same tilt controls, allowing fans to enjoy this unique style of play even today.
4. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! — ~1.1 Million Copies Sold
Also known as Minigame Mania, the original WarioWare title was what allowed this series to exist today. It introduced the concept of microgames, short minigames that barely lasted a few seconds. Players would rapidly follow the instructions of one microgame after another to get as high of a score as they could. The rapid, fast-paced nature of these microgames became a hit with fans, and the unique, colorful characters provided some extra story enjoyment on the side. Though many future WarioWare titles wouldn’t share in the original’s success, there are still quite a few that managed to surpass it.
3. WarioWare: Get It Together! — ~1.27 Million Copies Sold
Rather than focusing on the microgames themselves, the gimmick of WarioWare: Get It Together! happens to be the characters. Fans are able to enjoy playing as Wario, Mona, Jimmy T., Ashley, and 9-Volt as part of the game’s massive selection of over 18 playable characters. Each one has their own unique gameplay style, making every microgame able to be completed in unique ways. When considering the amount of sheer variety, Get It Together! is perhaps the most varied WarioWare title of them all, even surpassing WarioWare Gold in the different ways you can play each minigame.
Buy now on Amazon or the Nintendo eShop
2. WarioWare: Smooth Moves — ~2.35 Million Copies Sold
The gimmick of WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the usage of the Wii Remote. Players would hold the remote in various ways to mimic the actions shown on the screen, letting them truly feel like they’re a part of each microgame. Unlike many of its successors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves had timing on its side, being released very early into the Wii’s lifespan. It was practically able to classify as a launch title, giving fans quite a few reasons to check it out. It’s also one of the only games in the entire WarioWare series to boast over 2 million copies sold. Though many players might find microgames to be repetitive, Smooth Moves is still worth checking out today just for its unique artstyle and creative use of motion controls.
1. WarioWare: Touched! — ~2.47 Million Copies Sold
As another title sharing the good timing of Smooth Moves, WarioWare: Touched! is the most successful game in the series. This game’s gimmick is the usage of the DS touch screen. For once, actual buttons are almost never used, with the bottom screen being one of the only ways to provide any true input to the game. Touched! was able to make for a fun showcase of the unique features the DS could provide, and it became the best-selling WarioWare game as a result.
Final Thoughts
The WarioWare series has gone through many different iterations over the years. Some had more focus on gimmicks than others, though most still retained the classic microgame elements that fans love. However future games in the series might turn out, it will certainly be interesting to see what turns a new WarioWare title might take.