Top 10 Selling Handheld Games of All-time in Japan

If you think that kids in the United States and their handheld games are bad then try visiting Japan someday. In Japan you'll see more kids with Nintendo merchandise in their hands then you'll see kids with chopsticks (hey, at least they aren't fat like us though). Out of the 10 highest grossing video games of all-time in Japan, nine of them are handheld games, all of them are Nintendo games and the only console game to make the list is the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES (or the Famicom for them). What franchise is tops in the handheld video games in Japan? Read on to find out. If you're savvy with handheld games you probably know the answer, but if you're only familiar with console games you may be surprised to know it's not Mario.

10. Dragon Quest IX
System: Nintendo DS
Units Sold: 3.892 million
Dragon Quest IX is 10th among handheld games but 14th among all games. Other than the original Super Mario Bros. the other console games to sneak in there are Final Fantasy VII and Dragon Quest VII. Both roleplaying game series are extremely popular so it's no surprise Dragon Quest IX is already ranked this high even though it just came out six months ago. Between Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy they make up 30% of the 50 top selling games in Japan.

9. Super Mario Land
System: Nintendo Gameboy
Units Sold: 4.150 million
Super Mario Land was an early Gameboy game released in 1989. Super Mario Land was basically the Super Mario Bros. equivalent on the Gameboy as players controlled Mario in his quest to save Princess Daisy.

8. Tetris
System: Nintendo Gameboy
Units Sold: 4.230 million
Tetris was originally a PC game created by Russian engineer Alexey Pajitnov. Since then Tetris had seen many remakes and alternate versions over numerous video game systems but Pajitnov says that the Gameboy version is his favorite and is the closest to the original game.

7. Brain Age 2
System: Nintendo DS
Units Sold: 5.020 million
Console gamers might not be familiar with the Brain Age series but it is one of the most popular series on the DS. Brain Age is what some call "edutainment". The games are fun but also educational because they are games or puzzles that require using the brain. The game is called brain age because as you complete different puzzles and minigames, Brain Age will tell the user the age of their brain based on their scores.

6. Animal Crossing
System: Nintendo DS
Units Sold: 5.067 million
Animal Crossing was the first big hit on the Nintendo DS and held the record for most copies sold opening week until Brain Age 2 broke the record a few years later. In Animal Crossing the users control a character in a custom named village and become friendly with the animals that inhabit the area. The Animal Crossing series is very successful with casual gamers and in a way became like a "gateway drug" to other casual games, like the games seen on Facebook.

5. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
System: Nintendo Gameboy Advanced
Units Sold: 5.337 million
The Pokemon series is brilliant. What do the Japanese love more than roleplaying games and Anime? Throw Godzilla in one of those games and the entire country of Japan would stop running while everyone plays Pokezilla.

4. New Super Mario Bros.
System: Nintendo DS
Units Sold: 5.535 million
It seems like Nintendo releases a new side scrolling Mario adventure on the Nintendo consoles every year but New Super Mario Bros. was actually the first original side-scrolling handheld platform starring Mario since 1992. It is hard to believe Nintendo waited that long considering Super Mario Land is 9th on this list and the 10th selling game in Japan of all-time.

3. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
System: Nintendo DS
Units Sold: 5.709 million
So what series dominates handheld gaming unlike any other? Pokemon. Pokemon has already been on this list once and that is all you will see on the rest of this list as well.

2. Pokemon Gold/Silver
System: Nintendo Gameboy
Units Sold: 7.801 million
Pokemon Gold and Silver is the second installment in the ultra popular Pokemon series. One of the best features of Pokemon Gold and Silver was that it added 100 new species of Pokemon for the player to try and capture.

1. Pokemon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow
System: Nintendo Gameboy
Units Sold: 10.077 million
Pokemon Red, Blue, Green Yellow is the original Pokemon game for the Nitnendo Gameboy. So what exactly is Pokemon? Pokemon are these creatures that run around in a fictional land called Kanto. The user controls a Pokemon trainer that captures species of Pokemon. They then duel with other Pokemon trainers by having their creatures battle one another. Not only is this the highest selling game in Japan but according to the Guinness Book of World Records the original Pokemon game is the highest selling RPG of all-time as far as units sold.