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24/7 Insights
- Many of the games on this list were bootstrapped by small developers.
- Individual developers made some popular titles on this list.
- These games are among the most successful video games of all time.
- Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever
When you think about video games in today’s world, big-budget games tend to dominate headlines. Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Halo, and Horizon Forbidden West are all games that cost hundreds of millions to create. However, when you only look at these games, you completely ignore outstanding smaller titles and indie games made for a fraction of the price.
While there are some great examples, one standout is the Rocket League, which has millions of daily players but only cost a reported $2 million to develop. The return on the investment here has been massive, and Rocket League is hardly alone in this case, where indie developers are seeing big returns on little investment. Using data from Game Rant , Watch Mojo , and FandomWire , we can look at other small-budget video games with big user bases in descending order.
Why Is This Important?
The video game industry generates hundreds of billions in annual revenue.
Video games represent almost a $200 billion a year business, which makes it one of the most integral aspects of the entertainment world. This is more money than the music and movie industries generate combined, showing video games' true power on consoles, pc, smartphones, and more. When you consider many companies like Apple, Sony, Google, and Microsoft are all heavily involved in the gaming world, covering this topic is right up the 24/7 Wall St alley.
15. Super Meat Boy
Team Meat presents Super Meet Boy at GDC 2011.
- Total copies sold: 1 million and counting
Developing by “Team Meet,” or just Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, Super Meat Boy was a follow-up to their 2008 flash game “Meat Boy.” In the game, you control Meat Boy, who must rescue his girlfriend using traditional platform tactics. What separates Super Meat Boy from other platform games is that it offers a whopping 300 levels. Development started in 2009 on a shoestring budget, and the game sold a million copies by 2012. There is no question that over the last 12 years, the game has likely significantly grown its numbers.
14. Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is one of the most popular indie games.
- Total copies sold: 2.8 million and counting
When you consider that Hollow Knight’s last public release of numbers was in 2019, the number is likely much higher than the 2.8 million units sold in 2024. Indie developer Team Cherry made this Metroidvania game, which was released in 2017 and quickly made its way to both consoles and PC. The game has been praised for its art, music, and atmosphere, and it supposedly cost around $26,600 to develop while being priced as low as $15.
13. Cuphead
Cuphead is one of the most challenging indie games ever.
- Total copies sold: 6 million and counting
One of the more unique titles available today, Cuphead is a run-and-gun game developed by Studio MDHR. Studio MDHR was established by two brothers, Chad and Jared Moldenhauer. Writer Evan Skolnick created the script, and a few others provided animation work. There is no question the game was bootstrapped, only to sell more than a million copies in its first two weeks. Since then, it has sold over 6 million copies.
12. Undertale
Undertale is a pixel-perfect 2D role-playing game.
- Total copies sold: 6.3 million and counting
Undertale is a 2015 2D role-playing video game developed by American indie developer Toby Fox. While Fox developed the game independently, he sought help with some artwork and character designs. The game quickly succeeded, selling almost 530,343 copies in a year and passing 3.5 million copies by July 2018. Since then, it’s believed Undertale has at least doubled in total copies sold and continues to be hugely popular.
11. Dead Cells
Sébastien Bénard was the one-man indie developer who created Dead Cells.
- Total copies sold: 10 million and counting
Another hugely popular Metroidvania title, Dead Cells, is available anywhere you can play video games. Between consoles, smartphones, and PC, the game has received multiple updates since its 2018 release, including a wildly popular Castlevania crossover. The game was developed by dual indie developers Motion Twin and Evil Empire and gives the player one life to complete the game before sending them back to the beginning.
10. Rocket League
Rocket League is one of the most played esports games today.
- Total copies sold: 10.5 million and counting
Interestingly enough, Rocket League developers haven’t provided sales numbers for years, but one can take an educated guess. Considering the game sold 10.5 million copies by March 2017, it’s safe to say this number has only ballooned since then. Bootstrapped by Psyonix for approximately $2 million, the game was later purchased by Fortnite developer Epic Games and has become one of the most-played games online.
9. Outlast
Outlast is a hugely popular title with more than 15 million copies sold.
- Total copies sold: 15 million and counting
Outlast is a popular first-person psychological horror video game developed by Red Barrels and released in September 2013. At the time, Red Barrels consisted of just three developers who had previously worked with Ubisoft Montreal. After receiving around $1.3 million in funding, the three developers released the first version of Outlast. Five years later, the game sold 15 million copies and undoubtedly millions more ever since.
8. Palworld
Palworld is already one of the most popular games of 2024.
- Total copies sold: 25 million and counting
Costing around $6.75 million to develop, Palworld is one of the most successful video games of 2024. Interestingly, the game was first teased in 2021 but wasn’t launched until January 2024. With the CEO being transparent about the game’s cost, he was equally transparent about the number of copies sold. The game sold over 8 million units in its first six days, and by February 22nd, it was announced the monster-taming game had sold over 15 million copies and counting.
7. Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a hugely popular four-player game.
- Total copies sold: 20 million and counting
A 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash title, Castle Crashers is a hugely popular title developed by The Behemoth. It's suspected the game did not cost a ton to make, but with 20 million copies sold and regular pricing around $14.99, there is a good chance the developers have made far more money back than was spent. Even without an exact budget, the initial rollout to Xbox Live Arcade is a good indicator the game was bootstrapped.
6. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone talks to an audience.
- Total copies sold: 30 million and counting
At the top of any list that talks about successful video games with tiny budgets is going to be Stardew Valley. Made by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, Stardew Valley has taken on a life of its own. Barone announced that the game sold over 30 million units in early 2024. Barone single-handedly developed one of the best games in recent memory, and he did so by using feedback from both Reddit and Twitter to help with big decisions.
5. Flappy Bird
A version of what Flappy Bird would look like in 3D.
- Total copies sold: 50 million
One of the fastest-selling games on smartphones, Flappy Bird was an immediate sensation. Video game artist and programmer Dong Nguyen developed it. However, a sudden turn of events led Ngyuen to pull the game from the Apple and Android app stores after nine months, as he felt guilty that the game’s rapid rise to fame was causing too much addiction among users. However, while the game was released, it was said to cost Nguyen around $50,000 daily between advertisements and sales.
4. Terraria
Terraria is a wonderful procedurally generated video game.
- Total copies sold: 58.7 million and counting
Developed by Re-Logic, which only had 13 employees at the time of development, Terraria is a masterpiece 2D action-adventure sandbox title. Initially released for Windows in 2011, the game has sold over 58 million copies and shows little sign of slowing down. Terraria is popular because it's a procedurally generated 2D world, so the game is never the same twice.
3. Minecraft
Minecraft is one of the most popular video games ever.
- Total copies sold: 300 million and counting
Without mentioning Minecraft, it wouldn’t be a list of successful games with tiny budgets. With over 300 million copies sold and counting, the game was created by indie developer Markus “Notch” Persson. Released in 2011, the game has seen about 300 million copies downloaded or purchased. One of the best-selling video games ever, the game has since been sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion.
2. Runescape
Runescape has been around since 2001 as a role-playing game.
- Total copies sold: 300 million and counting
One of the largest free-to-play online role-playing games in history, Runescape was initially released in 2001. Developed by Jagex, the game was developed by less than five people before it saw an influx of one million free accounts. It’s reported that the game generated over $1 billion in revenue by 2018 and continues to rake in profits of at least $60 million yearly.
1. Tetris
- Total copies sold: 500 million and counting
If there is ever a game that was made with a tiny budget and has become wildly successful, it’s Tetris. The game's popularity is beyond contestation, having sold over 500 million copies and counting. Alexey Pajitnov created this simple puzzle-solving title in the Soviet Union during his free time. Later, it was set forth as the launch title for the Nintendo Game Boy. The rest is history, as the game has sold over 500 million units across decades of availability.
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