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Forums - Gaming - What Was The First Video Game You Ever Purchased At Launch?

As kids, our parents typically didn't get us games at launch. We had to usually wait until birthdays or Christmas. That's just how it goes.
Our mom knew how much we wanted to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl and took us to a midnight release of it. We also got Mario Kart Wii on launch day with a massive trade-in deal from GameStop of some games we barely touched. We also got New Super Mario Bros. Wii on launch day, and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is one of the earliest ones I remember getting with money that wasn't leftover from a birthday or a special treat from my family.



Lifetime Sales Predictions 

Switch: 159 million (was 73 million, then 96 million, then 113 million, then 125 million, then 144 million, then 151 million, then 156 million, then 161 million)

PS5: 116 million (was 105 million, then 115 million, then 122 million)

Xbox Series X/S: 38 million (was 60 million, then 67 million, then 57 million. then 48 million. then 40 million)

Switch 2: 120 million (was 116 million)

PS4: 120 mil (was 100 then 130 million, then 122 million) Xbox One: 51 mil (was 50 then 55 mil)

3DS: 75.5 mil (was 73, then 77 million)

"Let go your earthly tether, enter the void, empty and become wind." - Guru Laghima

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I want to say it was Sonic 3 on the Genesis. But I am not 100% sure on that. It would have been a game my mom bought my sibling and I to play. As the youngest I always stuck playing the old Sonic games as Tails unless I was playing by myself. 



VGChartz Sales Analyst and Writer - William D'Angelo - I stream on Twitch and have my own YouTube channel discussing gaming sales and news, as well as posting random gaming content. Follow me on Bluesky.

I post and adjust the VGChartz hardware estimates, with help from Machina.

Writer of the Sales Comparison | Monthly Hardware Breakdown Monthly Sales Analysis | Marketshare Features, as well as daily news on the Video Game Industry.



                                                                                                                                                           

Pokemon yellow. When pokemon was actually good.



Pokémon Alpha Sapphire



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I know Warcraft 3 for sure. I’m pretty sure all the other games I got were months after launch.



You called down the thunder, now reap the whirlwind

Never bought anything quite at launch.
Probably closest are Sonic 1 and Asterix on Master System. (Might be only games I've ever bought within a year from launch...)



If there were any before LoZ: Breath of the Wild I have forgotten. Odds are there were but the last I remember for sure is that one. Saw it in the direct and although I was iffy on the Switch after the WiiU I pre-ordered both the Switch and Breath. I wanted the best possible way to play that game.



The first game I ever bought was Mario sunshine with the gamecube. I remeber how many chores and odd jobs I had to do around the house and neibourhood to save up the money to buy it.



The world belongs to you-Pan America

Gran Turismo 6 for the PS3 back in 2013.