The 7th Generation of console gaming is well underway. It began in November 2004 with the release of the DS. The PSP, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii round out the group with the Wii coming out last in late November 2006.

With sales for all these consoles still going strong no one can say for sure when the 7th Gen will end. However, we can assume that once the 8th Gen consoles enter the market during the next decade the 7th Gen will lose steam, and sales will gradually decline. Before that happens though we have to wonder what game will stand as the best selling title of the current console generation.

Well, Wii Sports is far and away the winner with over 45 million already sold. In fact that makes it the best selling console game of all time. It being bundled with the Wii in all regions other than Japan has given it an insurmountable edge.

For this argument however Id like to focus on games that are not largely sold to the consumer by being bundled with a console.

As of mid 2009 that leaves the following contenders:

Wii Play, 23.59 million (Wii)

Nintendogs, 22.53 million (DS)

Wii Fit, 20.43 million (Wii)

New Super Mario Bros, 18.91 million (DS)

Brain Age, 17.53 million (DS)

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, 16.87 million (DS)

Mario Kart Wii, 16.23 million (Wii)

Mario Kart DS, 15.32 million (DS)

Brain Age 2, 13.84 million (DS)

Grand Theft Auto 4, 12.76 million (360, PS3)

Call of Duty 4, 11.89 million (360, PS3)

*The DS titles Nintendogs and Pokemon Diamond/Pearl are somewhat questionable entries because their Vgchartz sales numbers are for multiple versions sold under the same title name. None of the individual versions have sold over 10 million alone. In spite of this I have included the two games for arguments sake.

With the DS having sold 105.3 million handhelds it is understandable that they have many big sellers. Next is the Wii. With 51.1 million consoles, about half that of the DS, they still have a strong showing with the top title. The PS3 and Xbox 360 have considerably less units in circulation, yet due to multiplatform title releases their games still have the potential to compete. However, as it now stands games on those two consoles are far removed from the top.

Wii Play is currently the top selling game. It's sales however have been in decline. It is only selling slightly over 50,000 a week. Wii Fit on the other hand is selling more than 180,000. How long it can keep that momentum is unknown, especially in light of the announcement that Wii Fit Plus will released.

Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros too are selling at over 50,000 and will likely continue to do so as no announcements have been made for sequels on the DS.

Mario Kart Wii is still putting up big numbers with 86,000 units sold this last week. A Wii sequel for this game is unlikely as Nintendo has never released two new Mario Kart games on any of its consoles. Thus we can expect sales to continue over the 50,000 threshold for a long time to come.

Lastly, Nintendogs, Brain Age and COD 4 remain in the top 50 of over all weekly sales, with the three each selling over 25,000.

Looking at all these numbers I believe any of the top 6 still have the potential to take the title of "Best Selling 7th Generation Game".

Next we have to think about up and coming games, and those recently released.

For the Wii, Wii Sports Resort has already broken opening day sales records for a Wii title in Japan. If it has a similar reception in other regions it could make an impact. Successful Wii titles have shown amazing longevity, and Wii Sports Resort is building on the unprecedented momentum already established by Wii Sports.

Another title to consider is Wii Fit Plus. This game too will benefit from the momentum of its predecessor, and depending how it shapes up it could generate huge sales.

There are several other games in the works so who can say if the current titles will reign forever. Though they have the advantage of being released earlier they also have the disadvantage of being sold at a time when less consoles were in circulation. If all the consoles continue to sell well over the next few years the larger user base will noticeably boost sales for all major hits. But will there be enough time remaining in the 7th gen for any future titles to gain ground against our current leaders?

So again I ask, which game do you think will take the title?

Include Pokémon... It's the same game dude.

If Wii Sports isn't included, then I will have to go the Wii Fit.

That game outsells entire systems sometimes.

Wii Fit

^ I lol'ed so hard. It's going to outsell ps3 too, but only for a short period.

Well, actually now due to lower development costs is more affordable to realese Balance Board only games then PS3 only games.

No clue..but I bet it'll be a Wii game.

Nintendogs needs to be included. All versions contain all breeds - it's just the starters that are different. People don't buy multiple copies.

Wii Fit certainly has amazing sales but its weekly numbers will drop dramatically once Wii Fit Plus is released since that game will also sell with a Balance Board. Thus Wii Fit's momentum will not hold. That opens it up for other contenders to eventually move in.

I thought about it. but the game was also bundled with the DS for a while through a large re-release. So it would be unfair to include it and not Wii Sports.