2006 in video games

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of years in video games

2006 saw the release of several sequels and prequels in video games, prominently including New Super Mario Bros, alongside many prominent new releases including Bully, Company of Heroes, Dead Rising, Gears of War, Just Cause, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Prey, Resistance: Fall of Man, Saints Row, Thrillville and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Events[]

Month Date(s) Event
January 26 Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.[1]
Konami Corp. announces the list of titles it expects to ship in 2006, ranging from Beatmania to Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, and covering multiple platforms.[2]
Public schools in West Virginia will add Dance Dance Revolution by Konami to their curriculum, in an effort to combat obesity.[3][4]
27 Players of the Horde clan from World of Warcraft start the "Gamers Against No Kash" charity, to pay the subscription fees for valuable players strapped for cash.[5]
Microsoft of Japan made a statement to Japanese game magazine Famitsu regarding the Xbox 360 launch. "It was a lot more difficult than we had imagined. We couldn't prepare the launch titles that we had promised, and it made an impact," said Microsoft of Japan Xbox chief of operations Yoshihiro Maruyama. At the launch of the first Xbox in Japan, more units were sold in three days than have been sold of the Xbox 360 in one month.[6]
The PlayStation Portable 2.01-2.50 firmware versions, previously considered unhackable, are hacked by Fanjita.[7]
The Los Angeles attorney's office sues Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive over the Hot Coffee mod.[8]
30 A mandatory update for Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 was released. Microsoft claimed the update was for bugfixes and improvements. Members of the modding community claim that "the true purpose of this update was to halt the progress of the modding community".[9]
Nintendo released a statement regarding the Red Tulip phenomenon on Animal Crossing: Wild World, stating "We have isolated the problem and determined that there was a temporary error with the upload tool when this letter was posted". Earlier, there had been speculation that the tulips were a result of black hat hackers.[10]
31 Sony is reportedly building an Xbox Live-killer for the PlayStation 3.[11]
StarForce, a DRM maker for computer games, threatens to sue popular weblog Boing Boing for criticising its products.[12]
Blizzard Entertainment responds to the LGBT debate happening in World of Warcraft. The company stated: "To promote a positive game environment for everyone and help prevent such harassment from taking place as best we can, we prohibit mention of topics related to sensitive real-world subjects in open chat within the game, and we do our best to take action whenever we see such topics being broadcast."
Sony announces that ten servers will be merged with ten others on Everquest 2. Players are cautiously optimistic.[13][14]
February 6 After Tiger Telematics' bankruptcy, the Gizmondo handheld console is discontinued, only selling nearly 25,000 units.[15]
May 10–12 The 12th annual E3 is held in Los Angeles, California, United States.[16]
November 7 Left Behind Games releases Left Behind: Eternal Forces amid much controversy.
17 Sony releases the PlayStation 3 in North America.
19 Nintendo releases the Wii.

Business[]

Month Date(s) Event
January 5 Vivendi Universal Games acquires High Moon Studios (formerly Sammy Studios, Inc), which gained independence from Sammy in 2005.[17]
9 Take-Two Interactive acquires Irrational Games.
26 Sony reports that strong sales of the PlayStation Portable helped the company make a profit of ¥70 billion, the first time in 11 years that the company has managed to avoid an annual loss.[18]
Microsoft announces $293 million losses in its Home and Entertainment division, record revenues overall.[19]
Nintendo reports declining Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance sales but increased profits: ¥92.2 billion.[20]
27 The Nintendo DS returns to the top of the weekly Japanese charts, with 64,515 units sold compared to 38,271 for the PlayStation Portable. The PlayStation 2 is third with 26,135 units sold, while the Xbox 360 continues to sell poorly (just 3,616, less than the GameCube). The five best-selling games were Brain Training for Adults 2, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Super Mario Strikers, Brain Training for Adults and Mario Kart DS, all published by Nintendo.[21]
Microsoft lowers its estimate of Xbox 360 sales in its first 90 days from 2.75-3.0 million units to 2.5 million due to supply shortage. The yearly estimate (4.5 to 5.5 million) is unchanged since Microsoft plans to increase its console production with the help of a new manufacturer, Celestica.[22] Meanwhile, Microsoft postpones the Australian 360 launch from March 2 to 23, 2006 due to a "short term manufacturing challenge".[23]
30 Shares of Take-Two Interactive, the controversial creator of the Grand Theft Auto series, rose Monday after news that the company was in takeover talks with an unnamed buyer.[24][25][26]
31 CNET reports that Cisco Systems might be interested in buying Nintendo.[27][28]
February Unknown Tiger Telematics, the manufacturer of the Gizmondo handheld console, files for bankruptcy.[29]
May Unknown IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) successfully merged with VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association) to form combined organization EMA (Entertainment Merchants Association)
July Unknown ECA (Entertainment Consumers Association) formed.
July Unknown Atari plans to sell-off their game development studios.
October Unknown ECA (Entertainment Consumers Association) soft-launched.

Notable releases[]

Video game platforms
GBA Game Boy Advance
GCN GameCube
Lin Linux
Mac Classic Mac OS / macOS
NDS Nintendo DS
PS2 PlayStation 2
PS3 PlayStation 3
PSP PlayStation Portable
Wii Wii
Win Microsoft Windows
X360 Xbox 360
Xbox Xbox
Notable releases of the year 2006
Release Title PC 6th Gen 7th Gen Handheld
January 9 Electroplankton N/A N/A N/A NDS
January 10 Mega Man X Collection N/A GCN, PS2 N/A N/A
Nicktoons Unite N/A N/A N/A NDS
PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient N/A N/A N/A PSP
January 17 25 To Life Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Ape Escape 3 N/A PS2 N/A N/A
January 18 Samurai Shodown V N/A Xbox N/A N/A
January 23 True Swing Golf N/A N/A N/A NDS
January 25 Marble Blast Ultra N/A N/A XBLA N/A
January 31 Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop N/A N/A N/A NDS
February 6 Drill Dozer N/A N/A N/A GBA
February 7 Resident Evil: Deadly Silence N/A N/A N/A NDS
Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tales of Legendia N/A PS2 N/A N/A
The Rub Rabbits! N/A N/A N/A NDS
February 9 Siren 2 (Japan) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
February 14 Age of Empires: The Age of Kings N/A N/A N/A NDS
Drakengard 2 N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy Win N/A N/A N/A
Exit N/A N/A N/A PSP
Full Auto N/A N/A X360 N/A
Grandia III N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
State of Emergency 2 N/A PS2 N/A N/A
February 18 Star Wars: Empire at War Win N/A N/A N/A
February 21 EverQuest II: Kingdom of Sky Win N/A N/A N/A
MS Saga: A New Dawn N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Sonic Riders N/A PS2, Xbox, GCN N/A N/A
Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll N/A N/A N/A NDS
February 22 TOCA Race Driver 3 Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
February 27 Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords Win N/A N/A N/A
MX vs. ATV: On the Edge N/A N/A N/A PSP
February 28 Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach Win N/A N/A N/A
Black N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Final Fight: Streetwise N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Generation of Chaos N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tokyo Xtreme Racer N/A N/A N/A PSP
March 2 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II Win N/A N/A N/A
The Sims 2: Open for Business Win N/A N/A N/A
March 6 Pokémon Trozei! N/A N/A N/A NDS
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tales of Phantasia N/A N/A N/A GBA
March 7 Burnout Revenge N/A N/A X360 N/A
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai N/A N/A N/A PSP
Naruto: Ninja Council N/A N/A N/A GBA
Shadow Hearts: From the New World N/A PS2 N/A N/A
March 8 Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams N/A PS2 N/A N/A
March 9 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter N/A Xbox X360 N/A
March 13 The Outfit N/A N/A X360 N/A
March 14 Driver: Parallel Lines N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Mega Man Powered Up N/A N/A N/A PSP
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Neopets: Petpet Adventures: The Wand of Wishing N/A N/A N/A PSP
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror N/A N/A N/A PSP
March 15 Battlefield 2: Euro Force Win N/A N/A N/A
March 16 Final Fantasy XII (Japan) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
March 17 24: The Game N/A PS2 N/A N/A
March 20 Metroid Prime Hunters N/A N/A N/A NDS
Tetris DS N/A N/A N/A NDS
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Win N/A X360 N/A
March 21 Metal Gear Acid 2 N/A N/A N/A PSP
Me & My Katamari N/A N/A N/A PSP
Suikoden V N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal N/A N/A N/A NDS
The Godfather: The Game Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials N/A N/A N/A PSP
March 22 Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble N/A N/A N/A PSP
Worms: Open Warfare N/A N/A N/A NDS, PSP
March 23 Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII N/A Xbox X360 N/A
March 24 True Crime: New York City Win N/A N/A N/A
March 26 Act of War: High Treason Win N/A N/A N/A
March 28 Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII Win N/A N/A N/A
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires N/A PS2 X360 N/A
Far Cry Instincts: Predator N/A N/A X360 N/A
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody N/A GCN N/A N/A
Kingdom Hearts II USA/EU N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Rumble Roses XX N/A N/A X360 N/A
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code N/A N/A N/A PSP
March 31 Animal Crossing: Wild World (Europe) N/A N/A N/A NDS
April 3 James Bond 007: From Russia with Love N/A N/A N/A PSP
April 4 Bust-a-Move Deluxe N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tourist Trophy N/A PS2 N/A N/A
April 6 The Silent Hill Experience N/A N/A N/A PSP
April 10 Odama N/A GCN N/A N/A
April 11 Tomb Raider: Legend Win PS2, Xbox X360 N/A
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat N/A N/A X360 N/A
April 13 Auto Assault Win N/A N/A N/A
April 17 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day N/A N/A N/A NDS
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey Win N/A N/A N/A
April 18 Dreamfall: The Longest Journey N/A Xbox N/A N/A
Final Fantasy XI N/A N/A X360 N/A
Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan Win PS2 N/A N/A
Blades of Thunder II N/A N/A N/A NDS
The King of Fighters Neowave N/A Xbox N/A N/A
Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift N/A PS2 N/A N/A
April 20 Mother 3 (Japan) N/A N/A N/A GBA
April 24 Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods Win N/A N/A N/A
Rampage: Total Destruction N/A PS2, GCN N/A N/A
April 25 Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Guilty Gear Dust Strikers N/A N/A N/A NDS
LostMagic N/A N/A N/A NDS
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast N/A PS2, Xbox N/A PSP
WinBack 2: Project Poseidon N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
April 27 KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (Japan) [30] N/A PS2 N/A N/A
April 28 Guild Wars: Factions Win N/A N/A N/A
May 3 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Win N/A N/A N/A
May 9 NBA Ballers: Rebound N/A N/A N/A PSP
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends Win N/A N/A N/A
May 10 SiN Episodes: Emergence Win N/A N/A N/A
May 15 New Super Mario Bros. N/A N/A N/A NDS
May 16 Heroes of Might and Magic V Win N/A N/A N/A
X-Men: The Official Game Win PS2, Xbox, GCN X360 GBA, NDS
Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure Win N/A N/A N/A
May 19 The Da Vinci Code Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
May 23 Jaws: Unleashed N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Lemmings N/A N/A N/A PSP
Monster Hunter Freedom N/A N/A N/A PSP
Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis N/A N/A X360 N/A
Steambot Chronicles N/A PS2 N/A N/A
May 30 Hitman: Blood Money Win PS2, Xbox X360 N/A
X2: The Threat Lin N/A N/A N/A
June 1 Half-Life 2: Episode One Win N/A N/A N/A
June 5 Magnetica N/A N/A N/A NDS
June 6 AND 1 Streetball N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury Win N/A N/A N/A
Cars Win, Mac PS2, Xbox, GCN N/A NDS, PSP, GBA
Gradius Collection N/A N/A N/A PSP
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Race Driver 2006 N/A N/A N/A PSP
The Movies: Stunts & Effects Win N/A N/A N/A
June 12 Major League Baseball 2K6 N/A GCN N/A N/A
MotoGP '06 N/A N/A X360 N/A
Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War Win N/A N/A N/A
June 13 Armored Core: Last Raven (USA) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Mega Man Battle Network 6 N/A N/A N/A GBA
June 14 Point Blank DS N/A N/A N/A NDS
June 15 Gorky 17 Lin N/A N/A N/A
Rugrats Go Wild N/A N/A N/A GBA
Urban Chaos: Riot Response N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
June 20 Break 'Em All N/A N/A N/A NDS
NFL Head Coach Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch N/A N/A N/A PSP
June 21 Tomb Raider: Legend N/A N/A N/A PSP
June 26 Sudoku Gridmaster N/A N/A N/A NDS
Titan Quest Win N/A N/A N/A
June 27 Astonishia Story N/A N/A N/A PSP
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie and the Amp N/A N/A N/A NDS
Over G Fighters N/A N/A X360 N/A
June 28 N/A N/A N/A GBA
Juiced: Eliminator N/A N/A N/A PSP
MTX Mototrax N/A N/A N/A PSP
June 29 Panzer Command Win N/A N/A N/A
June 30 Flatout 2 (Europe) Win Xbox N/A N/A
July 5 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II N/A N/A X360 N/A
July 11 Chromehounds N/A N/A X360 N/A
Prey Win N/A X360 N/A
July 18 Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light N/A N/A N/A PSP
Miami Vice: The Game N/A N/A N/A PSP
NCAA Football 07 N/A PS2, Xbox X360 PSP
Super Dragon Ball Z N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth N/A N/A N/A PSP
July 19 Cloning Clyde N/A N/A XBLA N/A
July 20 AFL Premiership 2006 (AUS) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
July 24 CivCity: Rome Win N/A N/A N/A
Civilization IV: Warlords Win N/A N/A N/A
July 25 Tekken: Dark Resurrection N/A N/A N/A PSP
July 26 Summon Night: Swordcraft Story N/A N/A N/A GBA
August 1 Flatout 2 (North America) Win Xbox N/A N/A
Dungeon Siege II: Broken World Win N/A N/A N/A
Super Monkey Ball Adventure N/A GCN, PS2 N/A N/A
August 2 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting N/A N/A XBLA N/A
August 3 Rhythm Tengoku N/A N/A N/A NDS, GBA
August 4 Cold War Lin N/A N/A N/A
August 8 Dead Rising N/A N/A X360 N/A
August 15 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Ninety-Nine Nights N/A N/A X360 N/A
Xyanide N/A Xbox N/A N/A
August 21 Freedom Wings N/A N/A N/A NDS
Tenchu: Dark Secret N/A N/A N/A NDS
August 22 Pac-Man World Rally Win PS2, GCN N/A PSP
August 28 Star Fox Command N/A N/A N/A NDS
August 29 Bomberman: Act Zero N/A N/A X360 N/A
Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover N/A N/A N/A PSP
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Enchanted Arms N/A N/A X360 N/A
One Piece: Grand Adventure N/A GCN, PS2 N/A N/A
Saints Row N/A N/A X360 N/A
Super Monkey Ball Adventure N/A N/A N/A PSP
Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins N/A N/A N/A PSP
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra N/A PS2 N/A N/A
September 5 Go, Diego, Go! N/A GCN, PS2, Xbox N/A GBA, NDS,
LocoRoco N/A N/A N/A PSP
Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
September 1 ROBLOX N/A PC N/A N/A
September 6 Bad Day L.A. Win N/A N/A N/A
September 7 Kengo: Legend of the 9 N/A N/A X360 N/A
September 12 Bomberman PSP N/A N/A N/A PSP
Company of Heroes Win N/A N/A N/A
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Joint Task Force Win N/A N/A N/A
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Win PS2, Xbox, GCN X360 NDS, PSP
N/A N/A N/A NDS
NHL 07 Win PS2, Xbox GCN, X360 N/A
Rengoku II: The Stairway to Heaven N/A N/A N/A PSP
Rule of Rose N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Mega Man ZX N/A N/A N/A NDS
September 14 The Cheetah Girls N/A N/A N/A GBA
September 15 W.I.T.C.H. N/A PS2, GCN, Xbox N/A GBA
September 18 Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle N/A GCN, PS2, Xbox N/A GBA, NDS
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team N/A N/A N/A NDS
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team N/A N/A N/A GBA
September 19 Ōkami N/A PS2 N/A N/A
The Godfather: The Game N/A N/A X360 PSP
EverQuest: The Serpent's Spine Win N/A N/A N/A
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury N/A PS2 N/A N/A
September 22 Just Cause Win PS2, Xbox X360 N/A
Jaws: Unleashed[31] Win (EU) N/A N/A N/A
September 25 Alex Rider: Stormbreaker N/A N/A N/A GBA, NDS
Baten Kaitos Origins (North America) N/A GCN N/A N/A
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy N/A GCN, PS2 N/A N/A
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis N/A N/A N/A NDS
September 26 Caesar IV Win N/A N/A N/A
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova N/A PS2 N/A N/A
The Fast and the Furious N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Mage Knight: Destiny's Soldier N/A N/A N/A NDS
Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires N/A N/A N/A PSP
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria N/A PS2 N/A N/A
September 28 Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Japan) N/A N/A N/A NDS
Kingdom Hearts II (Australia, Europe) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
September 29 DEFCON: Everybody Dies (Europe) Win N/A N/A N/A
October 2 Family Guy Video Game! N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Unfabulous N/A N/A N/A GBA
October 3 Gangs of London N/A N/A N/A PSP
Mercury Meltdown N/A N/A N/A PSP
October 4 Star Trek: Encounters N/A PS2 N/A N/A
October 5 Desperate Housewives: The Game Win N/A N/A N/A
October 6 Heroes of Annihilated Empires Win N/A N/A N/A
Stacked with Daniel Negreanu N/A N/A N/A PSP
October 8 Scarface: The World Is Yours Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
October 9 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade Win N/A N/A N/A
October 10 Crash Boom Bang! N/A N/A N/A NDS
God Hand N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Gun N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tales of the Abyss N/A PS2 N/A N/A
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning N/A GCN, PS2, Xbox N/A GBA
October 11 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon N/A PS2 N/A N/A
October 12 American Dragon: Jake Long – Attack of the Dark Dragon N/A PS2, GCN, Xbox N/A NDS
American Dragon: Jake Long – Rise of the Huntsclan N/A PS2, GCN, Xbox N/A GBA
October 13 Gothic 3 Win N/A N/A N/A
October 16 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy N/A N/A N/A GBA
October 17 Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs Win N/A N/A N/A
Battlefield 2142 Win N/A N/A N/A
Bully N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Family Guy Video Game! N/A N/A N/A PSP
Justice League Heroes N/A PS2, Xbox N/A NDS
Justice League Heroes: The Flash N/A N/A N/A GBA
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon N/A Xbox N/A N/A
Sid Meier's Railroads! (North America) Win N/A N/A N/A
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 N/A N/A N/A GBA
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning N/A N/A N/A NDS
The Sims 2: Pets Win N/A N/A N/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent N/A N/A X360 N/A
Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania Win N/A N/A N/A
Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection Win N/A N/A N/A
October 18 Football Manager 2007 Win, Mac N/A N/A N/A
Lumines N/A N/A XBLA N/A
Jaws: Unleashed[31] Win (US) N/A N/A N/A
October 19 Contact N/A N/A N/A NDS
Destroy All Humans! 2 N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Disney's Kim Possible: What's the Switch? N/A PS2 N/A N/A
October 20 Medal of Honor: Heroes N/A N/A N/A PSP
October 22 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 N/A N/A XBLA N/A
October 23 Cars N/A N/A X360 N/A
Magical Starsign N/A N/A N/A NDS
Work Time Fun N/A N/A N/A PSP
October 24 Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Win N/A N/A N/A
F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Win N/A N/A N/A
Juka and the Monophonic Menace N/A N/A N/A GBA
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Win PS2, Xbox X360 GBA
Nacho Libre N/A N/A N/A NDS
Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island N/A PS2, GCN N/A GBA, NDS
Phantasy Star Universe Win PS2 X360 N/A
Reservoir Dogs Win PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
Scurge: Hive N/A N/A N/A GBA, NDS
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Win N/A N/A N/A
Tokobot N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent N/A PS2, Xbox, GCN N/A N/A
Touch Detective N/A N/A N/A NDS
October 26 ATV Offroad Fury Pro N/A N/A N/A PSP
Guild Wars Nightfall Win N/A N/A N/A
Jaws: Unleashed[31] Win (AU) N/A N/A N/A
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots N/A N/A N/A GBA
October 30 N/A N/A N/A PSP
Pokémon Ranger (North America) N/A N/A N/A NDS
October 31 ATV Offroad Fury 4 N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Death Jr. II: Root of Evil N/A N/A N/A PSP
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories N/A N/A N/A PSP
Final Fantasy XII (United States) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Killzone: Liberation N/A N/A N/A PSP
Konductra N/A N/A N/A NDS
Need for Speed: Carbon Win PS2, Xbox, GCN X360, PS3 N/A
Neverwinter Nights 2 Win N/A N/A N/A
Power Stone Collection N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tom and Jerry Tales N/A N/A N/A GBA, NDS
November 2 Dave Mirra BMX Challenge N/A N/A N/A PSP
November 3 Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends N/A N/A N/A GBA
November 6 Elite Beat Agents N/A N/A N/A NDS
Final Fantasy V N/A N/A N/A GBA
Lumines II N/A N/A N/A PSP
November 7 Call of Duty 3 N/A PS2, Xbox X360 N/A
Every Extend Extra N/A N/A N/A PSP
Guitar Hero II N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Gears of War N/A N/A X360 N/A
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault N/A PS2 N/A N/A
The Sopranos: Road to Respect N/A PS2 N/A N/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent Win N/A N/A N/A
Tony Hawk's Project 8 N/A PS2, Xbox X360 N/A
November 8 Bomberman Land Touch! N/A N/A N/A NDS
November 9 Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action N/A PS2 N/A NDS
November 13 Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 N/A N/A X360 N/A
EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer Win N/A N/A N/A
Medieval 2: Total War Win N/A N/A N/A
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Polarium Advance N/A N/A N/A GBA
Yoshi's Island DS N/A N/A N/A NDS
Mortal Kombat: Unchained N/A N/A N/A PSP
November 14 Bionicle Heroes Win GCN, PS2 X360 GBA, NDS
Charlotte's Web Win PS2 N/A GBA, NDS
EA Replay N/A N/A N/A PSP
Eragon Win PS2, Xbox X360 GBA, NDS, PSP
Final Fantasy III N/A N/A N/A NDS
Gitaroo Man Lives! N/A N/A N/A PSP
Gunpey N/A N/A N/A PSP
Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate Win N/A N/A N/A
Left Behind: Eternal Forces Win N/A N/A N/A
Rampage: Total Destruction N/A N/A Wii N/A
Sonic the Hedgehog N/A N/A X360 N/A
Tomb Raider: Legend N/A GCN N/A GBA, NDS
Xiaolin Showdown N/A PS2 N/A PSP
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos Win N/A N/A N/A
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 N/A PS2 X360 N/A
November 15 Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Xiaolin Showdown N/A Xbox N/A N/A
November 16 Sega Genesis Collection N/A N/A PS3 PSP
Sonic Rivals N/A N/A N/A PSP
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy N/A N/A Wii N/A
November 17 Blast Factor N/A N/A PSN N/A
Brain Boost: Gamma Wave N/A N/A N/A NDS
Call of Duty 3 N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Cash Guns Chaos DLX N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Genji: Days of the Blade N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Resistance: Fall of Man N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Ridge Racer 7 N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Tony Hawk's Project 8 N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Totally Spies! 2: Undercover N/A N/A N/A GBA
November 19 Avatar: The Last Airbender N/A N/A Wii N/A
Barnyard N/A N/A Wii N/A
Call of Duty 3 (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
Excite Truck (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
PocketBike Racer N/A Xbox X360 N/A
Rayman Raving Rabbids (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
Red Steel (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
Sneak King N/A Xbox X360 N/A
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
Wii Sports (America) N/A N/A Wii N/A
November 20 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas N/A N/A X360 N/A
November 21 The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine Win N/A N/A N/A
Rapala Tournament Fishing N/A N/A X360 N/A
Thrillville N/A PS2, Xbox N/A PSP
Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone N/A N/A N/A GBA
November 22 Justice League Heroes N/A N/A N/A PSP
Rapala Tournament Fishing N/A N/A Wii N/A
Small Arms N/A N/A XBLA N/A
Superman Returns N/A PS2, Xbox X360 NDS
Tony Hawk's Project 8 N/A N/A N/A PSP
November 27 Totally Spies! 2: Undercover N/A N/A N/A NDS
November 28 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king Win N/A N/A N/A
Online Chess Kingdoms N/A N/A N/A PSP
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent N/A N/A Wii N/A
Xiaolin Showdown N/A N/A N/A NDS
November 30 Final Fantasy VI Advance (Japan) N/A N/A N/A GBA
December 4 Cartoon Network Racing N/A PS2 N/A NDS
Kirby: Squeak Squad N/A N/A N/A NDS
Mercury Meltdown Remix N/A PS2 N/A N/A
December 5 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops N/A N/A N/A PSP
Star Trek: Legacy Win N/A N/A N/A
Fight Night Round 3 N/A N/A PS3 N/A
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 N/A N/A N/A PSP
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin N/A N/A N/A NDS
December 7 Star Wars: Lethal Alliance N/A N/A N/A PSP
Yakuza 2 (Japan) N/A PS2 N/A N/A
December 11 Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action N/A N/A Wii N/A
December 12 Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII N/A N/A PS3 N/A
Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy N/A N/A N/A NDS
Elebits N/A N/A Wii N/A
Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing N/A N/A N/A PSP
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury N/A GCN N/A N/A
December 13 Mashed N/A PS2, Xbox N/A N/A
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess N/A GCN N/A N/A
December 14 Star Wars: Lethal Alliance N/A N/A N/A NDS
December 19 Bubble Bobble Evolution N/A N/A N/A PSP
December 20 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures Win N/A N/A N/A
Novadrome N/A N/A XBLA N/A
December 21 FlatOut 2 (Steam) Win N/A N/A N/A
December 27 New Rally-X N/A N/A XBLA N/A
December 29 Ape Escape: Million Monkeys N/A PS2 N/A N/A

Hardware and software sales[]

See also: List of million-selling game consoles and List of best-selling video games

Japan[]

  • Based on figures from Enterbrain:

Best-selling video games of 2006 in Japan [32]

Place Title Console Units sold
1 Pokémon Diamond and Pearl NDS 4,302,815
2 New Super Mario Bros. NDS 3,818,214
3 Brain Training 2 NDS 3,748,638
4 Animal Crossing: Wild World NDS 2,485,264
5 Final Fantasy XII PS2 2,322,329
6 Brain Training NDS 1,991,116
7 English Training NDS 1,529,618
8 Mario Kart DS NDS 1,115,082
9 Winning Eleven 10 PS2 1,050,236
10 Tetris DS NDS 985,246

United States[]

  • Based on figures from the NPD Group:

Best-selling video games of 2006 in the US [33]

Place Title Console Units sold
1 Madden NFL 07 PS2 1.8 million
2 New Super Mario Bros. NDS 1.5 million
3 Kingdom Hearts II PS2 1.5 million
4 Gears of War X360 1 million
5 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter X360 913,000
6 Final Fantasy XII PS2 895,000
7 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories PS2 860,000
8 NCAA Football 07 PS2 849,000
9 Madden NFL 07 X360 826,000
10 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! NDS 792,000
  • Based on figures from the NPD Group via IGN;[34] the games' publishers are listed in brackets:

Best-selling video games of 2006 by platform[34]

Place Nintendo DS[35] Nintendo GameCube[36] PC[37]
1 New Super Mario Bros.
(Nintendo) 		Sonic Riders
(Sega) 		World of Warcraft
(Blizzard Entertainment)
2 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
(Nintendo) 		Naruto: Clash of Ninja
(D3 Publisher) 		The Sims 2: Open for Business
(Electronic Arts)
3 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
(Nintendo) 		Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
(LucasArts) 		The Sims 2
(Electronic Arts)
4 Metroid Prime Hunters
(Nintendo) 		Cars
(THQ) 		The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
(Bethesda Softworks)
5 Super Princess Peach
(Nintendo) 		Madden NFL 07
(Electronic Arts) 		Star Wars: Empire at War
(LucasArts)
6 Big Brain Academy
(Nintendo) 		Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2
(D3 Publisher) 		Age of Empires III
(Microsoft)
7 Tetris DS
(Nintendo) 		Rampage: Total Destruction
(Midway Games) 		Civilization IV
(2K Games)
8 Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends
(Nintendo) 		Over the Hedge
(Activision) 		The Sims 2: Nightlife
(Electronic Arts)
9 Mario Hoops 3-on-3
(Nintendo) 		Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
(Natsume) 		Guild Wars Factions
(NCsoft)
10 Pokémon Ranger
(Nintendo) 		Teen Titans
(Majesco Entertainment) 		Zoo Tycoon 2
(Microsoft)
Place PlayStation 2[38] PlayStation 3[39] Xbox[40]
1 Madden NFL 07
(Electronic Arts) 		Resistance: Fall of Man
(Sony Computer Entertainment) 		Madden NFL 07
(Electronic Arts)
2 Kingdom Hearts II
(Square Enix) 		Madden NFL 07
(Electronic Arts) 		Black
(Electronic Arts)
3 Guitar Hero
(RedOctane) 		Call of Duty 3
(Activision) 		NCAA Football 07
(Electronic Arts)
4 Final Fantasy XII
(Square Enix) 		Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
(Activision) 		MVP 06: NCAA Baseball
(Electronic Arts)
5 NCAA Football 07
(Electronic Arts) 		Ridge Racer 7
(Namco Bandai) 		The Godfather: The Game
(Electronic Arts)
6 Guitar Hero II
(RedOctane) 		Need for Speed: Carbon
(Electronic Arts) 		Fight Night Round 3
(Electronic Arts)
7 MLB 06: The Show
(Sony Computer Entertainment) 		Tony Hawk's Project 8
(Activision) 		Major League Baseball 2K6
(2K Sports)
8 Scarface: The World Is Yours
(Vivendi) 		NBA 2K7
(Sony Computer Entertainment) 		Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
(LucasArts)
9 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
(LucasArts) 		NBA 07
(Sony Computer Entertainment) 		Scarface: The World Is Yours
(Vivendi Games)
10 Fight Night Round 3
(Electronic Arts) 		Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
(Sony Online Entertainment) 		Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
(Ubisoft)
Place Xbox 360[34] Wii[41]
1 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
(Ubisoft) 		The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
(Nintendo)
2 Madden NFL 07
(Electronic Arts) 		Red Steel
(Ubisoft)
3 Gears of War
(Microsoft) 		Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
(Sega)
4 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
(Bethesda Softworks / 2K Games) 		Rayman Raving Rabbids
(Ubisoft)
5 Fight Night Round 3
(Electronic Arts) 		Call of Duty 3
(Activision)
6 Saints Row
(THQ) 		Madden NFL 07
(Electronic Arts)
7 Dead Rising
(Capcom) 		Trauma Center: Second Opinion
(Atlus)
8 NCAA Football 07
(Electronic Arts) 		Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
(Activision)
9 Call of Duty 3
(Activision) 		Excite Truck
(Nintendo)
10 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
(Ubisoft) 		Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
(Majesco Entertainment)

Europe[]

  • Based on estimates from Electronic Arts:

Video game console sales of 2006 in Europe[42][43]

Place Console Units sold
1 Nintendo DS 6.4 million
2 PlayStation 2 6 million
3 PlayStation Portable 4 million
4 Xbox 360 2 million
5 Wii 0.7 million

Critically acclaimed titles[]

Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

2006 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[44][45]
Game Publisher Release Date Platform MC score GR score
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Nintendo December 2, 2006 GameCube 96/100 95%
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Nintendo November 19, 2006 Wii 95/100 94.58%
Gears of War Microsoft Game Studios November 7, 2006 Xbox 360 94/100 93.97%
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 2K Games March 20, 2006 Xbox 360 94/100 93.85%
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 2K Games March 20, 2006 Microsoft Windows 94/100 93.29%
Company of Heroes THQ September 13, 2006 Microsoft Windows 93/100 93.93%
Ōkami Capcom April 20, 2006 PlayStation 2 93/100 92.65%
Guitar Hero II RedOctane November 7, 2006 PlayStation 2 92/100 92.07%
Final Fantasy VI Advance Square Enix November 30, 2006 Game Boy Advance 92/100[46] 91.02%[47]
Final Fantasy XII Square Enix March 16, 2006 PlayStation 2 92/100 90.77%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Ubisoft March 9, 2006 Xbox 360 90/100 90.47%
GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game 10tacle Studios September 29, 2006 Microsoft Windows 90/100 89.4%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas Ubisoft November 22, 2006 Xbox 360 88/100 89.39%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent Ubisoft October 24, 2006 Xbox 89/100 89.31%
New Super Mario Bros. Nintendo May 15, 2006 Nintendo DS 89/100 89.07%
Burnout Revenge Electronic Arts March 7, 2006 Xbox 360 89/100 88.57%
Armadillo Run Peter Stock April 22, 2006 Microsoft Windows 88/100 89%[48]
Elite Beat Agents Nintendo November 6, 2006 Nintendo DS 87/100 88.33%
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Namco Bandai Games July 6, 2006 PlayStation Portable 88/100 88.27%
NCAA Football 07 EA Sports July 18, 2006 Xbox 88/100 88.12%
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition Capcom January 24, 2006 PlayStation 2 87/100 88%
Medieval II: Total War Sega November 10, 2006 Microsoft Windows 88/100 87.18%
Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness Nippon Ichi Software November 30, 2006 PlayStation Portable 87/100[46] 87.77%[47]

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