The 10 Best Selling Capcom Franchises of All-Time, Ranked
Capcom has had some dips in the past, but ever since they put out Resident Evil VII in 2017, they have been on a run. Every year has at least one, if not several hits that fans dig across the board. This is all to say Capcom is one of Japan's biggest companies with a wide catalog of series under its forty plus year belt.
Figuring out which one has sold the most is a bit tricky as companies like Capcom like to keep exact details out of the public eye. These numbers are at least close to what one can presume are the real numbers based on press statements and accumulated data. Sadly fan favorites like Okami, Dino Crisis, and Breath of Fire did not make the cut.
10 Lost Planet
Lost Planet started its franchise in 2006 for the Xbox 360 and has sold about 6M units. The last game was Lost Planet 3 in 2013, which is to say it never made it off systems from two generations ago. They are backwards compatible via Xbox systems though so that’s something. This was sort of Capcom’s Western approach to the Monster Haunter formula although they seemingly could never make up their mind on if they wanted it to be that, or a story driven shooter.
9 Phoenix Wright
Phoenix Wright started its franchise in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance and has sold about 7M units. In Japan it’s known as Gyakuten Saiban. The West would not see this franchise until 2005 when the first game was remade for the DS.
There have been some recent remasters, but the last actual new game was Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2: Naruhodo Ryunosuke no Kakugo which released for the 3DS in 2017 in Japan only.
8 Onimusha
Onimusha started its franchise in 2001 for the PS2 and has sold about 8M units. Other than the remaster in 2019, which made many hope Capcom would remaster others if not make a new game, the actual last entry was 2006’s Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams on PS2. There was a browser game release in 2012 for Japan only, Onimusha Soul, but that hardly seems like it should count. 2001 marks its twentieth anniversary so one can bet fans expect to see something.
7 Marvel Vs Capcom
Marvel vs Capcom started its franchise in 1998 for arcades and has sold about 9M units. Technically this series started with X-Men vs. Street Fighter in 1996, also for arcades. However, the first time the name came up specifically was for Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes in 1998. Semantics aside, it is a crossover fighter adored by many but the last entry was all the way back in 2017, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, which had a mixed reception.
6 Dead Rising
Dead Rising started its franchise in 2006 for the Xbox 360 and has sold about 14M units. The last entry, not including ports or DLC, was the fourth entry in 2016 for last-gen systems. With this series and Resident Evil, not to mention Onimusha since that is samurai zombies, Capcom made a lot of money off of the zombie genre. By the time the fourth game came out though fans had started to feel fatigue.
5 Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry started its franchise in 2001 for the PS2 and has sold about 22M units. There have been some pauses in-between releases, but the last main one brought this series back to power with Devil May Cry 5 in 2019. In terms of reviews that is. Sales for it did not necessarily soar for Capcom so it is unknown if it will go back into hiding once again. For diehard fans, they’re hoping it’s here to stay though.
4 Mega Man
Mega Man started its franchise in 1987 for the NES and has sold about 36M units. Mega Man is another Capcom hero that goes away only to return sporadically. The last game was Mega Man 11 in 2018, unless one wanted to count Rockman X DiVE which was a 2020 phone game. Mega Man 11 was supposed to be the Blue Bomber’s big return but it ultimately failed to capture a new audience and old fans were mixed.
3 Street Fighter
Street Fighter started its franchise in 1987 for arcades and has sold about 45M units. It would not hit its stride until the second game released in 1991. To say it changed the arcade scene would be an understatement. Developers from across the globe chased its fighting game magic. Some nailed it, while others failed gloriously. The last core entry was Street Fighter V in 2016, but Capcom has re-released it multiple times, the latest of which was in 2020, with new characters and modes.
2 Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter started its franchise in 2004 for the PS2 and has sold about 65M units. This was a huge phenomenon in Japan for over a decade. It never really caught on in the West though. That is until Monster Hunter World came out.
Now this series is more embraced, thus earning Capcom more money from an even bigger audience. The latest entry, Monster Hunter Rise, is set to release in March on Switch.
1 Resident Evil
Resident Evil started its franchise in 1996 for the PS1 and has sold about 105M units. As well as Monster Hunter has done in Japan, the counter to that has always been Resident Evil for Western fans. It still remains Capcom’s best selling franchise globally. To reiterate it again, zombies seem to be the company’s bread and butter. The latest entry, Resident Evil 8, will be out in May.
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