2006 in video games

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/AN/AN/ANDS
January 10 Mega Man X Collection N/AGCN, PS2N/AN/A
Nicktoons Unite N/AN/AN/ANDS
PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient N/AN/AN/APSP
January 17 25 To Life WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
Ape Escape 3 N/APS2N/AN/A
January 18 Samurai Shodown V N/AXboxN/AN/A
January 23 True Swing Golf N/AN/AN/ANDS
January 25 Marble Blast Ultra N/AN/AXBLAN/A
January 31 Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop N/AN/AN/ANDS
February 6 Drill Dozer N/AN/AN/AGBA
February 7 Resident Evil: Deadly Silence N/AN/AN/ANDS
Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX N/AN/AN/APSP
Tales of Legendia N/APS2N/AN/A
The Rub Rabbits! N/AN/AN/ANDS
February 9 Siren 2 (Japan) N/APS2N/AN/A
February 14 Age of Empires: The Age of Kings N/AN/AN/ANDS
Drakengard 2 N/APS2N/AN/A
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy WinN/AN/AN/A
Exit N/AN/AN/APSP
Full Auto N/AN/AX360N/A
Grandia III N/APS2N/AN/A
Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
State of Emergency 2 N/APS2N/AN/A
February 18 Star Wars: Empire at War WinN/AN/AN/A
February 21 EverQuest II: Kingdom of Sky WinN/AN/AN/A
MS Saga: A New Dawn N/APS2N/AN/A
Sonic Riders N/APS2, Xbox, GCNN/AN/A
Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll N/AN/AN/ANDS
February 22 TOCA Race Driver 3 WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
February 27 Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords WinN/AN/AN/A
MX vs. ATV: On the Edge N/AN/AN/APSP
February 28 Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach WinN/AN/AN/A
Black N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Final Fight: Streetwise N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Generation of Chaos N/AN/AN/APSP
Tokyo Xtreme Racer N/AN/AN/APSP
March 2 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II WinN/AN/AN/A
The Sims 2: Open for Business WinN/AN/AN/A
March 6 Pokémon Trozei! N/AN/AN/ANDS
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger N/AN/AN/APSP
Tales of Phantasia N/AN/AN/AGBA
March 7 Burnout Revenge N/AN/AX360N/A
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai N/AN/AN/APSP
Naruto: Ninja Council N/AN/AN/AGBA
Shadow Hearts: From the New World N/APS2N/AN/A
March 8 Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams N/APS2N/AN/A
March 9 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter N/AXboxX360N/A
March 13 The Outfit N/AN/AX360N/A
March 14 Driver: Parallel Lines N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Mega Man Powered Up N/AN/AN/APSP
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence N/APS2N/AN/A
Neopets: Petpet Adventures: The Wand of Wishing N/AN/AN/APSP
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror N/AN/AN/APSP
March 15 Battlefield 2: Euro Force WinN/AN/AN/A
March 16 Final Fantasy XII (Japan) N/APS2N/AN/A
March 17 24: The Game N/APS2N/AN/A
March 20 Metroid Prime Hunters N/AN/AN/ANDS
Tetris DS N/AN/AN/ANDS
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion WinN/AX360N/A
March 21 Metal Gear Acid 2 N/AN/AN/APSP
Me & My Katamari N/AN/AN/APSP
Suikoden V N/APS2N/AN/A
Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal N/AN/AN/ANDS
The Godfather: The Game WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials N/AN/AN/APSP
March 22 Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble N/AN/AN/APSP
Worms: Open Warfare N/AN/AN/ANDS, PSP
March 23 Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII N/AXboxX360N/A
March 24 True Crime: New York City WinN/AN/AN/A
March 26 Act of War: High Treason WinN/AN/AN/A
March 28 Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII WinN/AN/AN/A
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires N/APS2X360N/A
Far Cry Instincts: Predator N/AN/AX360N/A
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody N/AGCNN/AN/A
Kingdom Hearts II USA/EU N/APS2N/AN/A
Rumble Roses XX N/AN/AX360N/A
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter N/APS2N/AN/A
Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code N/AN/AN/APSP
March 31 Animal Crossing: Wild World (Europe) N/AN/AN/ANDS
April 3 James Bond 007: From Russia with Love N/AN/AN/APSP
April 4 Bust-a-Move Deluxe N/AN/AN/APSP
Tourist Trophy N/APS2N/AN/A
April 6 The Silent Hill Experience N/AN/AN/APSP
April 10 Odama N/AGCNN/AN/A
April 11 Tomb Raider: Legend WinPS2, XboxX360N/A
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat N/AN/AX360N/A
April 13 Auto Assault WinN/AN/AN/A
April 17 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day N/AN/AN/ANDS
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey WinN/AN/AN/A
April 18 Dreamfall: The Longest Journey N/AXboxN/AN/A
Final Fantasy XI N/AN/AX360N/A
Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan WinPS2N/AN/A
Blades of Thunder II N/AN/AN/ANDS
The King of Fighters Neowave N/AXboxN/AN/A
Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift N/APS2N/AN/A
April 20 Mother 3 (Japan) N/AN/AN/AGBA
April 24 Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods WinN/AN/AN/A
Rampage: Total Destruction N/APS2, GCNN/AN/A
April 25 Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War N/APS2N/AN/A
Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny N/APS2N/AN/A
Guilty Gear Dust Strikers N/AN/AN/ANDS
LostMagic N/AN/AN/ANDS
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast N/APS2, XboxN/APSP
WinBack 2: Project Poseidon N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
April 27 KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (Japan) [30] N/APS2N/AN/A
April 28 Guild Wars: Factions WinN/AN/AN/A
May 3 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter WinN/AN/AN/A
May 9 NBA Ballers: Rebound N/AN/AN/APSP
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends WinN/AN/AN/A
May 10 SiN Episodes: Emergence WinN/AN/AN/A
May 15 New Super Mario Bros. N/AN/AN/ANDS
May 16 Heroes of Might and Magic V WinN/AN/AN/A
X-Men: The Official Game WinPS2, Xbox, GCNX360GBA, NDS
Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure WinN/AN/AN/A
May 19 The Da Vinci Code WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
May 23 Jaws: Unleashed N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Lemmings N/AN/AN/APSP
Monster Hunter Freedom N/AN/AN/APSP
Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis N/AN/AX360N/A
Steambot Chronicles N/APS2N/AN/A
May 30 Hitman: Blood Money WinPS2, XboxX360N/A
X2: The Threat LinN/AN/AN/A
June 1 Half-Life 2: Episode One WinN/AN/AN/A
June 5 Magnetica N/AN/AN/ANDS
June 6 AND 1 Streetball N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury WinN/AN/AN/A
Cars Win, MacPS2, Xbox, GCNN/ANDS, PSP, GBA
Gradius Collection N/AN/AN/APSP
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories N/APS2N/AN/A
Race Driver 2006 N/AN/AN/APSP
The Movies: Stunts & Effects WinN/AN/AN/A
June 12 Major League Baseball 2K6 N/AGCNN/AN/A
MotoGP '06 N/AN/AX360N/A
Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War WinN/AN/AN/A
June 13 Armored Core: Last Raven (USA) N/APS2N/AN/A
Mega Man Battle Network 6 N/AN/AN/AGBA
June 14 Point Blank DS N/AN/AN/ANDS
June 15 Gorky 17 LinN/AN/AN/A
Rugrats Go Wild N/AN/AN/AGBA
Urban Chaos: Riot Response N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
June 20 Break 'Em All N/AN/AN/ANDS
NFL Head Coach WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch N/AN/AN/APSP
June 21 Tomb Raider: Legend N/AN/AN/APSP
June 26 Sudoku Gridmaster N/AN/AN/ANDS
Titan Quest WinN/AN/AN/A
June 27 Astonishia Story N/AN/AN/APSP
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie and the Amp N/AN/AN/ANDS
Over G Fighters N/AN/AX360N/A
June 28 Babar to the Rescue N/AN/AN/AGBA
Juiced: Eliminator N/AN/AN/APSP
MTX Mototrax N/AN/AN/APSP
June 29 Panzer Command WinN/AN/AN/A
June 30 Flatout 2 (Europe) WinXboxN/AN/A
July 5 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II N/AN/AX360N/A
July 11 Chromehounds N/AN/AX360N/A
Prey WinN/AX360N/A
July 18 Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light N/AN/AN/APSP
Miami Vice: The Game N/AN/AN/APSP
NCAA Football 07 N/APS2, XboxX360PSP
Super Dragon Ball Z N/APS2N/AN/A
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth N/AN/AN/APSP
July 19 Cloning Clyde N/AN/AXBLAN/A
July 20 AFL Premiership 2006 (AUS) N/APS2N/AN/A
July 24 CivCity: Rome WinN/AN/AN/A
Civilization IV: Warlords WinN/AN/AN/A
July 25 Tekken: Dark Resurrection N/AN/AN/APSP
July 26 Summon Night: Swordcraft Story N/AN/AN/AGBA
August 1 Flatout 2 (North America) WinXboxN/AN/A
Dungeon Siege II: Broken World WinN/AN/AN/A
Super Monkey Ball Adventure N/AGCN, PS2N/AN/A
August 2 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting N/AN/AXBLAN/A
August 4 Cold War LinN/AN/AN/A
August 8 Dead Rising N/AN/AX360N/A
August 15 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII N/APS2N/AN/A
Ninety-Nine Nights N/AN/AX360N/A
Xyanide N/AXboxN/AN/A
August 21 Freedom Wings N/AN/AN/ANDS
Tenchu: Dark Secret N/AN/AN/ANDS
August 22 Pac-Man World Rally WinPS2, GCNN/APSP
August 28 Star Fox Command N/AN/AN/ANDS
August 29 Bomberman: Act Zero N/AN/AX360N/A
Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover N/AN/AN/APSP
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories N/APS2N/AN/A
Enchanted Arms N/AN/AX360N/A
One Piece: Grand Adventure N/AGCN, PS2N/AN/A
Saints Row N/AN/AX360N/A
Super Monkey Ball Adventure N/AN/AN/APSP
Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins N/AN/AN/APSP
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra N/APS2N/AN/A
September 5 Go, Diego, Go! N/AGCN, PS2, XboxN/AGBA, NDS,
LocoRoco N/AN/AN/APSP
Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
September 6 Bad Day L.A. WinN/AN/AN/A
September 7 Kengo: Legend of the 9 N/AN/AX360N/A
September 12 Bomberman PSP N/AN/AN/APSP
Company of Heroes WinN/AN/AN/A
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix N/APS2N/AN/A
Joint Task Force WinN/AN/AN/A
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy WinPS2, Xbox, GCNX360NDS, PSP
MechAssault: Phantom Way N/AN/AN/ANDS
NHL 07 WinPS2, Xbox GCN,X360N/A
Rengoku II: The Stairway to Heaven N/AN/AN/APSP
Rule of Rose N/APS2N/AN/A
Mega Man ZX N/AN/AN/ANDS
September 14 The Cheetah Girls N/AN/AN/AGBA
September 15 W.I.T.C.H. N/APS2, GCN, XboxN/AGBA
September 18 Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle N/AGCN, PS2, XboxN/AGBA, NDS
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team N/AN/AN/ANDS
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team N/AN/AN/AGBA
September 19 Ōkami N/APS2N/AN/A
The Godfather: The Game N/AN/AX360PSP
EverQuest: The Serpent's Spine WinN/AN/AN/A
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury N/APS2N/AN/A
September 22 Just Cause WinPS2, XboxX360N/A
Jaws: Unleashed[31] Win (EU)N/AN/AN/A
September 25 Alex Rider: Stormbreaker N/AN/AN/AGBA, NDS
Baten Kaitos Origins (North America) N/AGCNN/AN/A
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy N/AGCN, PS2N/AN/A
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis N/AN/AN/ANDS
September 26 Caesar IV WinN/AN/AN/A
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova N/APS2N/AN/A
The Fast and the Furious N/APS2N/AN/A
Mage Knight: Destiny's Soldier N/AN/AN/ANDS
Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires N/AN/AN/APSP
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria N/APS2N/AN/A
September 28 Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Japan) N/AN/AN/ANDS
Kingdom Hearts II (Australia, Europe) N/APS2N/AN/A
September 29 DEFCON: Everybody Dies (Europe) WinN/AN/AN/A
October 2 Family Guy Video Game! N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Unfabulous N/AN/AN/AGBA
October 3 Gangs of London N/AN/AN/APSP
Mercury Meltdown N/AN/AN/APSP
October 4 Star Trek: Encounters N/APS2N/AN/A
October 5 Desperate Housewives: The Game WinN/AN/AN/A
October 6 Heroes of Annihilated Empires WinN/AN/AN/A
Stacked with Daniel Negreanu N/AN/AN/APSP
October 8 Scarface: The World Is Yours WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
October 9 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade WinN/AN/AN/A
October 10 Crash Boom Bang! N/AN/AN/ANDS
God Hand N/APS2N/AN/A
Gun N/AN/AN/APSP
Tales of the Abyss N/APS2N/AN/A
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning N/AGCN, PS2, XboxN/AGBA
October 11 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon N/APS2N/AN/A
October 12 American Dragon: Jake Long – Attack of the Dark Dragon N/APS2, GCN, XboxN/ANDS
American Dragon: Jake Long – Rise of the Huntsclan N/APS2, GCN, XboxN/AGBA
October 13 Gothic 3 WinN/AN/AN/A
October 16 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy N/AN/AN/AGBA
October 17 Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs WinN/AN/AN/A
Battlefield 2142 WinN/AN/AN/A
Bully N/APS2N/AN/A
Family Guy Video Game! N/AN/AN/APSP
Justice League Heroes N/APS2, XboxN/ANDS
Justice League Heroes: The Flash N/AN/AN/AGBA
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon N/AXboxN/AN/A
Sid Meier's Railroads! (North America) WinN/AN/AN/A
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 N/AN/AN/AGBA
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning N/AN/AN/ANDS
The Sims 2: Pets WinN/AN/AN/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent N/AN/AX360N/A
Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania WinN/AN/AN/A
Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection WinN/AN/AN/A
October 18 Football Manager 2007 Win, MacN/AN/AN/A
Lumines N/AN/AXBLAN/A
Jaws: Unleashed[31] Win (US)N/AN/AN/A
October 19 Contact N/AN/AN/ANDS
Destroy All Humans! 2 N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
Disney's Kim Possible: What's the Switch? N/APS2N/AN/A
October 20 Medal of Honor: Heroes N/AN/AN/APSP
October 22 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 N/AN/AXBLAN/A
October 23 Cars N/AN/AX360N/A
Magical Starsign N/AN/AN/ANDS
Work Time Fun N/AN/AN/APSP
October 24 Dark Messiah of Might and Magic WinN/AN/AN/A
F.E.A.R. Extraction Point WinN/AN/AN/A
Juka and the Monophonic Menace N/AN/AN/AGBA
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance WinPS2, XboxX360GBA
Nacho Libre N/AN/AN/ANDS
Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island N/APS2, GCNN/AGBA, NDS
Phantasy Star Universe WinPS2X360N/A
Reservoir Dogs WinPS2, XboxN/AN/A
Scurge: Hive N/AN/AN/AGBA, NDS
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption WinN/AN/AN/A
Tokobot N/APS2N/AN/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent N/APS2, Xbox, GCNN/AN/A
Touch Detective N/AN/AN/ANDS
October 26 ATV Offroad Fury Pro N/AN/AN/APSP
Guild Wars Nightfall WinN/AN/AN/A
Jaws: Unleashed[31] Win (AU)N/AN/AN/A
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots N/AN/AN/AGBA
October 30 Dungeon Siege: Thorne of Agony N/AN/AN/APSP
Pokémon Ranger (North America) N/AN/AN/ANDS
October 31 ATV Offroad Fury 4 N/APS2N/AN/A
Death Jr. II: Root of Evil N/AN/AN/APSP
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories N/AN/AN/APSP
Final Fantasy XII (United States) N/APS2N/AN/A
Killzone: Liberation N/AN/AN/APSP
Konductra N/AN/AN/ANDS
Need for Speed: Carbon WinPS2, Xbox, GCNX360, PS3N/A
Neverwinter Nights 2 WinN/AN/AN/A
Power Stone Collection N/AN/AN/APSP
Tom and Jerry Tales N/AN/AN/AGBA, NDS
November 2 Dave Mirra BMX Challenge N/AN/AN/APSP
November 3 Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends N/AN/AN/AGBA
November 6 Elite Beat Agents N/AN/AN/ANDS
Final Fantasy V N/AN/AN/AGBA
Lumines II N/AN/AN/APSP
November 7 Call of Duty 3 N/APS2, XboxX360N/A
Every Extend Extra N/AN/AN/APSP
Guitar Hero II N/APS2N/AN/A
Gears of War N/AN/AX360N/A
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault N/APS2N/AN/A
The Sopranos: Road to Respect N/APS2N/AN/A
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent WinN/AN/AN/A
Tony Hawk's Project 8 N/APS2, XboxX360N/A
November 8 Bomberman Land Touch! N/AN/AN/ANDS
November 9 Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action N/APS2N/ANDS
November 13 Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 N/AN/AX360N/A
EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer WinN/AN/AN/A
Medieval 2: Total War WinN/AN/AN/A
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire N/AN/APS3N/A
Polarium Advance N/AN/AN/AGBA
Yoshi's Island DS N/AN/AN/ANDS
Mortal Kombat: Unchained N/AN/AN/APSP
November 14 Bionicle Heroes WinGCN, PS2X360GBA, NDS
Charlotte's Web WinPS2N/AGBA, NDS
EA Replay N/AN/AN/APSP
Eragon WinPS2, XboxX360GBA, NDS, PSP
Final Fantasy III N/AN/AN/ANDS
Gitaroo Man Lives! N/AN/AN/APSP
Gunpey N/AN/AN/APSP
Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate WinN/AN/AN/A
Left Behind: Eternal Forces WinN/AN/AN/A
Rampage: Total Destruction N/AN/AWiiN/A
Sonic the Hedgehog N/AN/AX360N/A
Tomb Raider: Legend N/AGCNN/AGBA, NDS
Xiaolin Showdown N/APS2N/APSP
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos WinN/AN/AN/A
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 N/APS2X360N/A
November 15 Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom N/AN/APS3N/A
Xiaolin Showdown N/AXboxN/AN/A
November 16 Sega Genesis Collection N/AN/APS3PSP
Sonic Rivals N/AN/AN/APSP
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy N/AN/AWiiN/A
November 17 Blast Factor N/AN/APSNN/A
Brain Boost: Gamma Wave N/AN/AN/ANDS
Call of Duty 3 N/AN/APS3N/A
Cash Guns Chaos DLX N/AN/APS3N/A
Genji: Days of the Blade N/AN/APS3N/A
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance N/AN/APS3N/A
Resistance: Fall of Man N/AN/APS3N/A
Ridge Racer 7 N/AN/APS3N/A
Tony Hawk's Project 8 N/AN/APS3N/A
Totally Spies! 2: Undercover N/AN/AN/AGBA
November 19 Avatar: The Last Airbender N/AN/AWiiN/A
Barnyard N/AN/AWiiN/A
Call of Duty 3 (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
Excite Truck (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
PocketBike Racer N/AXboxX360N/A
Rayman Raving Rabbids (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
Red Steel (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
Sneak King N/AXboxX360N/A
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
Wii Sports (America) N/AN/AWiiN/A
November 20 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas N/AN/AX360N/A
November 21 The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine WinN/AN/AN/A
Rapala Tournament Fishing N/AN/AX360N/A
Thrillville N/APS2, XboxN/APSP
Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone N/AN/AN/AGBA
November 22 Justice League Heroes N/AN/AN/APSP
Rapala Tournament Fishing N/AN/AWiiN/A
Small Arms N/AN/AXBLAN/A
Superman Returns N/APS2, XboxX360NDS
Tony Hawk's Project 8 N/AN/AN/APSP
November 27 Totally Spies! 2: Undercover N/AN/AN/ANDS
November 28 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king WinN/AN/AN/A
Online Chess Kingdoms N/AN/AN/APSP
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent N/AN/AWiiN/A
Xiaolin Showdown N/AN/AN/ANDS
November 30 Final Fantasy VI Advance (Japan) N/AN/AN/AGBA
December 4 Cartoon Network Racing N/APS2N/ANDS
Kirby: Squeak Squad N/AN/AN/ANDS
Mercury Meltdown Remix N/APS2N/AN/A
December 5 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops N/AN/AN/APSP
Star Trek: Legacy WinN/AN/AN/A
Fight Night Round 3 N/AN/APS3N/A
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 N/AN/AN/APSP
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin N/AN/AN/ANDS
December 7 Star Wars: Lethal Alliance N/AN/AN/APSP
December 11 Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action N/AN/AWiiN/A
December 12 Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII N/AN/APS3N/A
Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy N/AN/AN/ANDS
Elebits N/AN/AWiiN/A
Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing N/AN/AN/APSP
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury N/AGCNN/AN/A
December 13 Mashed N/APS2, XboxN/AN/A
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess N/AGCNN/AN/A
December 14 Star Wars: Lethal Alliance N/AN/AN/ANDS
December 19 Bubble Bobble Evolution N/AN/AN/APSP
December 20 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures WinN/AN/AN/A
Novadrome N/AN/AXBLAN/A
December 21 FlatOut 2 (Steam) WinN/AN/AN/A
December 27 New Rally-X N/AN/AXBLAN/A
December 29 Ape Escape: Million Monkeys N/APS2N/AN/A

Hardware and software sales

United States

Best-selling video games of 2006 in the US [32]

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;[33] the games' publishers are listed in brackets:

Best-selling video games of 2006 by platform[33]

Place Nintendo DS[34] Nintendo GameCube[35] PC[36]
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[37] PlayStation 3[38] Xbox[39]
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[33] Wii[40]
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)

Japan

Best-selling video games of 2006 in Japan [41]

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

Europe

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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