The best-selling video game of every year, from 1995 to 2019

"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"/Nintendo

• From the early days of arcades, video games have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry.
• The most popular video games, like "Tetris" and "Minecraft," have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
• Looking at the changes in game sales over time reflects the rise and fall of popular genres and major shifts in the mainstream audience.

Starting from the humble days of "Pong" and "Space Invaders," video games have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, with single games garnering hundreds of millions of sales.

As the audience for video games has grown there have been major shifts in the mainstream market; only a few large publishers and popular franchises have earned permanent footholds in the list of best-sellers.

A video game industry analyst from the NPD Group released a list of the top-selling game of each year dating back to 1995, including physical and digital copies. While some games like "Tetris" and "Minecraft" have each sold more than 100 million copies over time, the year-by-year list reflects the changing interests of gamers as time has progressed.

1995 — "Mortal Kombat III"

The original "Mortal Kombat" games were originally arcade hits, boosted by the game's penchant for gratuitous violence and the early use of motion-capture technology. The colorful characters of "Mortal Kombat 3" are played by live actors and players can fight and tear one another apart in a variety of ways. The violence gave the game plenty of critics, but it also led to plenty of extra attention.

1996 — "Super Mario 64" (Nintendo 64)

As a launch title, "Super Mario 64" kicked off multiple years of dominance for the Nintendo 64 console. The game takes full advantage of the console's 64-bit processor, creating explorable 3D environments that were unmatched at the time. "Super Mario 64" established many of the gameplay mechanics that still define 3D platformers today and remains a fan-favorite on YouTube and Twitch.

1997 — "Mario Kart 64" (Nintendo 64)

This may not come as a surprise, but "Mario Kart" is one of the Nintendo's best-selling series — across all consoles. "Mario Kart 64" introduced four-player split-screen multiplayer alongside memorable race tracks, and bumping music, making it a must-buy on the Nintendo 64.

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SEE ALSO: The top 3 best-selling games of all time are a surprising group of games that have all sold over 100 million copies apiece