2006 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, ', Prey, ', Saints Row, Thrillville and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Events

Business

MonthDateEvent
January5Vivendi Universal Games acquires High Moon Studios, which gained independence from Sammy in 2005.
January9Take-Two Interactive acquires Irrational Games.
January26Sony 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.
January26Microsoft announces $293 million losses in its Home and Entertainment division, record revenues overall.
January26Nintendo reports declining Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance sales but increased profits: ¥92.2 billion.
January27The 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. The five best-selling games were Brain Training for Adults 2, , Super Mario Strikers, Brain Training for Adults and Mario Kart DS, all published by Nintendo.
January27Microsoft 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 is unchanged since Microsoft plans to increase its console production with the help of a new manufacturer, Celestica. Meanwhile, Microsoft postpones the Australian 360 launch from March 2 to 23, 2006 due to a "short term manufacturing challenge".
January30Shares 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.
January31CNET reports that Cisco Systems might be interested in buying Nintendo.
FebruaryUnknownTiger Telematics, the manufacturer of the Gizmondo handheld console, files for bankruptcy.
MayUnknownIEMA successfully merged with VSDA to form combined organization EMA
JulyUnknownECA formed.
JulyUnknownAtari plans to sell-off their game development studios.
OctoberUnknownECA soft-launched.

Notable releases

ReleaseTitlePC6th Gen7th GenHandheld
January 9ElectroplanktonNDS
January 10Mega Man X CollectionGCN, PS2
January 10Nicktoons UniteNDS
January 10'PSP
January 1725 To LifeWinPS2, Xbox
January 17Ape Escape 3PS2
January 18Samurai Shodown VXbox
January 23True Swing GolfNDS
January 25Marble Blast UltraXBLA
January 31'NDS
February 6Drill DozerGBA
February 7Resident Evil: Deadly SilenceNDS
February 7Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAXPSP
February 7Tales of LegendiaPS2
February 7The Rub Rabbits!NDS
February 9Siren 2 PS2
February 14'NDS
February 14Drakengard 2PS2
February 14'Win
February 14ExitPSP
February 14Full AutoX360
February 14Grandia IIIPS2
February 14'WinPS2, Xbox
February 14State of Emergency 2PS2
February 18'Win
February 21'Win
February 21'PS2
February 21Sonic RidersPS2, Xbox, GCN
February 21Super Monkey Ball Touch & RollNDS
February 22TOCA Race Driver 3WinPS2, Xbox
February 27'Win
February 27'PSP
February 28Dungeons & Dragons Online: StormreachWin
February 28BlackPS2, Xbox
February 28'PS2, Xbox
February 28Generation of ChaosPSP
February 28Tokyo Xtreme RacerPSP
March 2'Win
March 2'Win
March 6Pokémon Trozei!NDS
March 6'PSP
March 6Tales of PhantasiaGBA
March 7Burnout RevengeX360
March 7'PSP
March 7'GBA
March 7'PS2
March 8'PS2
March 9Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterXboxX360
March 13The OutfitX360
March 14'PS2, Xbox
March 14Mega Man Powered UpPSP
March 14'PS2
March 14'PSP
March 14'PSP
March 15'Win
March 16Final Fantasy XII PS2
March 17'PS2
March 20Metroid Prime HuntersNDS
March 20Tetris DSNDS
March 20'WinX360
March 21Metal Gear Acid 2PSP
March 21Me & My KatamariPSP
March 21Suikoden VPS2
March 21'NDS
March 21'WinPS2, Xbox
March 21'PSP
March 22'PSP
March 22'NDS, PSP
March 23'XboxX360
March 24'Win
March 26'Win
March 28'Win
March 28Dynasty Warriors 5: EmpiresPS2X360
March 28Far Cry Instincts: PredatorX360
March 28'GCN
March 28Kingdom Hearts II USA/EUPS2
March 28Rumble Roses XXX360
March 28Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterPS2
March 28'PSP
March 31' NDS
April 3James Bond 007: From Russia with LovePSP
April 4Bust-a-Move DeluxePSP
April 4Tourist TrophyPS2
April 6The Silent Hill ExperiencePSP
April 10OdamaGCN
April 11'WinPS2, XboxX360
April 11'X360
April 13Auto AssaultWin
April 17'NDS
April 17'Win
April 18'Xbox
April 18Final Fantasy XIX360
April 18Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht UrhganWinPS2
April 18Blades of Thunder IINDS
April 18The King of Fighters NeowaveXbox
April 18'PS2
April 20Mother 3 GBA
April 24Black & White 2: Battle of the GodsWin
April 24'PS2, GCN
April 25'PS2
April 25'PS2
April 25Guilty Gear Dust StrikersNDS
April 25LostMagicNDS
April 25'PS2, XboxPSP
April 25'PS2, Xbox
April 27KOF: Maximum Impact 2 PS2
April 28'Win
May 3Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterWin
May 9'PSP
May 9'Win
May 10'Win
May 15New Super Mario Bros.NDS
May 16Heroes of Might and Magic VWin
May 16'WinPS2, Xbox, GCNX360GBA, NDS
May 16'Win
May 19The Da Vinci CodeWinPS2, Xbox
May 23'PS2, Xbox
May 23LemmingsPSP
May 23Monster Hunter FreedomPSP
May 23Rockstar Games Presents Table TennisX360
May 23Steambot ChroniclesPS2
May 30'WinPS2, XboxX360
May 30'Lin
June 1'Win
June 5MagneticaNDS
June 6AND 1 StreetballPS2, Xbox
June 6'Win
June 6CarsWin, MacPS2, Xbox, GCNNDS, PSP, GBA
June 6Gradius CollectionPSP
June 6'PS2
June 6Race Driver 2006PSP
June 6'Win
June 12Major League Baseball 2K6GCN
June 12MotoGP '06X360
June 12'Win
June 13' PS2
June 13Mega Man Battle Network 6GBA
June 14Point Blank DSNDS
June 15Gorky 17Lin
June 15Rugrats Go WildGBA
June 15'PS2, Xbox
June 20Break 'Em AllNDS
June 20NFL Head CoachWinPS2, Xbox
June 20'PSP
June 21'PSP
June 26Sudoku GridmasterNDS
June 26Titan QuestWin
June 27Astonishia StoryPSP
June 27'NDS
June 27Over G FightersX360
June 28Babar to the RescueGBA
June 28'PSP
June 28MTX MototraxPSP
June 29Panzer CommandWin
June 30Flatout 2 WinXbox
July 5'X360
July 11ChromehoundsX360
July 11PreyWinX360
July 18'PSP
July 18'PSP
July 18NCAA Football 07PS2, XboxX360PSP
July 18Super Dragon Ball ZPS2
July 18Valkyrie Profile: LennethPSP
July 19Cloning ClydeXBLA
July 20AFL Premiership 2006 PS2
July 24'Win
July 24'Win
July 25'PSP
July 26'GBA
August 1Flatout 2 WinXbox
August 1Dungeon Siege II: Broken WorldWin
August 1Super Monkey Ball AdventureGCN, PS2
August 2Street Fighter II' Hyper FightingXBLA
August 4Cold WarLin
August 8Dead RisingX360
August 15'PS2
August 15Ninety-Nine NightsX360
August 15XyanideXbox
August 21Freedom WingsNDS
August 21'NDS
August 22Pac-Man World RallyWinPS2, GCNPSP
August 28Star Fox CommandNDS
August 29'X360
August 29'PSP
August 29'PS2
August 29Enchanted ArmsX360
August 29'GCN, PS2
August 29Saints RowX360
August 29Super Monkey Ball AdventurePSP
August 29Ultimate Ghosts 'n GoblinsPSP
August 29'PS2
September 5Go, Diego, Go!GCN, PS2, XboxGBA, NDS,
September 5LocoRocoPSP
September 5'PS2, Xbox
September 6Bad Day L.A.Win
September 7Kengo: Legend of the 9X360
September 12Bomberman PSPPSP
September 12Company of HeroesWin
September 12'PS2
September 12Joint Task ForceWin
September 12'WinPS2, Xbox, GCNX360NDS, PSP
September 12'NDS
September 12NHL 07WinPS2, Xbox GCN,X360
September 12'PSP
September 12Rule of RosePS2
September 12Mega Man ZXNDS
September 14The Cheetah GirlsGBA
September 15W.I.T.C.H.PS2, GCN, XboxGBA
September 18'GCN, PS2, XboxGBA, NDS
September 18'NDS
September 18'GBA
September 19ŌkamiPS2
September 19The Godfather: The GameX360PSP
September 19EverQuest: The Serpent's SpineWin
September 19Zatch Bell! Mamodo FuryPS2
September 22Just CauseWinPS2, XboxX360
September 22'Win
September 25'GBA, NDS
September 25Baten Kaitos Origins GCN
September 25The Grim Adventures of Billy & MandyGCN, PS2
September 25'NDS
September 26Caesar IVWin
September 26Dance Dance Revolution SuperNovaPS2
September 26The Fast and the FuriousPS2
September 26'NDS
September 26'PSP
September 26'PS2
September 28Pokémon Diamond and Pearl NDS
September 28Kingdom Hearts II PS2
September 29' Win
October 2Family Guy Video Game!PS2, Xbox
October 2UnfabulousGBA
October 3Gangs of LondonPSP
October 3Mercury MeltdownPSP
October 4'PS2
October 5'Win
October 6Heroes of Annihilated EmpiresWin
October 6Stacked with Daniel NegreanuPSP
October 8'WinPS2, Xbox
October 9'Win
October 10Crash Boom Bang!NDS
October 10God HandPS2
October 10GunPSP
October 10Tales of the AbyssPS2
October 10'GCN, PS2, XboxGBA
October 11'PS2
October 12'PS2, GCN, XboxNDS
October 12'PS2, GCN, XboxGBA
October 13Gothic 3Win
October 16The Grim Adventures of Billy & MandyGBA
October 17'Win
October 17Battlefield 2142Win
October 17BullyPS2
October 17Family Guy Video Game!PSP
October 17Justice League HeroesPS2, XboxNDS
October 17'GBA
October 17'Xbox
October 17Sid Meier's Railroads! Win
October 17'GBA
October 17'NDS
October 17'Win
October 17'X360
October 17'Win
October 17Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper CollectionWin
October 18Football Manager 2007Win, Mac
October 18LuminesXBLA
October 18'Win
October 19ContactNDS
October 19Destroy All Humans! 2PS2, Xbox
October 19Disney's Kim Possible: What's the Switch?PS2
October 20'PSP
October 22Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3XBLA
October 23CarsX360
October 23Magical StarsignNDS
October 23Work Time FunPSP
October 24Dark Messiah of Might and MagicWin
October 24F.E.A.R. Extraction PointWin
October 24Juka and the Monophonic MenaceGBA
October 24'WinPS2, XboxX360GBA
October 24Nacho LibreNDS
October 24'PS2, GCNGBA, NDS
October 24Phantasy Star UniverseWinPS2X360
October 24Reservoir DogsWinPS2, Xbox
October 24'GBA, NDS
October 24'Win
October 24TokobotPS2
October 24'PS2, Xbox, GCN
October 24Touch DetectiveNDS
October 26ATV Offroad Fury ProPSP
October 26Guild Wars NightfallWin
October 26'Win
October 26Rock 'Em Sock 'Em RobotsGBA
October 30'PSP
October 30Pokémon Ranger NDS
October 31ATV Offroad Fury 4PS2
October 31'PSP
October 31'PSP
October 31Final Fantasy XII PS2
October 31'PSP
October 31KonductraNDS
October 31'WinPS2, Xbox, GCNX360, PS3
October 31Neverwinter Nights 2Win
October 31Power Stone CollectionPSP
October 31Tom and Jerry TalesGBA, NDS
November 2Dave Mirra BMX ChallengePSP
November 3Foster's Home for Imaginary FriendsGBA
November 6Elite Beat AgentsNDS
November 6Final Fantasy VGBA
November 6Lumines IIPSP
November 7Call of Duty 3PS2, XboxX360
November 7Every Extend ExtraPSP
November 7Guitar Hero IIPS2
November 7Gears of WarX360
November 7'PS2
November 7'PS2
November 7'Win
November 7Tony Hawk's Project 8PS2, XboxX360
November 8Bomberman Land Touch!NDS
November 9'PS2NDS
November 13Dead or Alive Xtreme 2X360
November 13'Win
November 13'Win
November 13'PS3
November 13Polarium AdvanceGBA
November 13Yoshi's Island DSNDS
November 13'PSP
November 14Bionicle HeroesWinGCN, PS2X360GBA, NDS
November 14Charlotte's WebWinPS2GBA, NDS
November 14EA ReplayPSP
November 14EragonWinPS2, XboxX360GBA, NDS, PSP
November 14Final Fantasy IIINDS
November 14Gitaroo Man Lives!PSP
November 14GunpeyPSP
November 14'Win
November 14'Win
November 14'Wii
November 14Sonic the HedgehogX360
November 14'GCNGBA, NDS
November 14Xiaolin ShowdownPS2PSP
November 14'Win
November 14WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007PS2X360
November 15'PS3
November 15Xiaolin ShowdownXbox
November 16Sega Genesis CollectionPS3PSP
November 16Sonic RivalsPSP
November 16The Grim Adventures of Billy & MandyWii
November 17Blast FactorPSN
November 17'NDS
November 17Call of Duty 3PS3
November 17Cash Guns Chaos DLXPS3
November 17'PS3
November 17'PS3
November 17'PS3
November 17Ridge Racer 7PS3
November 17Tony Hawk's Project 8PS3
November 17'GBA
November 19'Wii
November 19BarnyardWii
November 19Call of Duty 3 Wii
November 19Excite Truck Wii
November 19' Wii
November 19PocketBike RacerXboxX360
November 19Rayman Raving Rabbids Wii
November 19Red Steel Wii
November 19Sneak KingXboxX360
November 19' Wii
November 19' Wii
November 19' Wii
November 19Wii Sports Wii
November 20'X360
November 21The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the NineWin
November 21Rapala Tournament FishingX360
November 21ThrillvillePS2, XboxPSP
November 21'GBA
November 22Justice League HeroesPSP
November 22Rapala Tournament FishingWii
November 22Small ArmsXBLA
November 22Superman ReturnsPS2, XboxX360NDS
November 22Tony Hawk's Project 8PSP
November 27'NDS
November 28'Win
November 28Online Chess KingdomsPSP
November 28'Wii
November 28Xiaolin ShowdownNDS
November 30Final Fantasy VI Advance GBA
December 4Cartoon Network RacingPS2NDS
December 4'NDS
December 4Mercury Meltdown RemixPS2
December 5'PSP
December 5'Win
December 5Fight Night Round 3PS3
December 5WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007PSP
December 5'NDS
December 7'PSP
December 11'Wii
December 12'PS3
December 12'NDS
December 12ElebitsWii
December 12Shrek Smash n' Crash RacingPSP
December 12Zatch Bell! Mamodo FuryGCN
December 13MashedPS2, Xbox
December 13'GCN
December 14'NDS
December 19Bubble Bobble EvolutionPSP
December 203D Ultra Minigolf AdventuresWin
December 20NovadromeXBLA
December 21FlatOut 2 Win
December 27New Rally-XXBLA
December 29'PS2

Hardware and software sales

United States

Best-selling video games of 2006 in the US
PlaceTitleConsoleUnits sold
1Madden NFL 07PS21.8 million
2New Super Mario Bros.NDS1.5 million
3Kingdom Hearts IIPS21.5 million
4Gears of WarX3601 million
5'X360913,000
6Final Fantasy XIIPS2895,000
7'PS2860,000
8NCAA Football 07PS2849,000
9Madden NFL 07X360826,000
10'NDS792,000

Best-selling video games of 2006 by platform
PlaceNintendo DSNintendo GameCubePC
1New Super Mario Bros.
Sonic Riders
World of Warcraft
2'
'
'
3'
'
The Sims 2
4Metroid Prime Hunters
Cars
'
5Super Princess Peach
Madden NFL 07
'
6Big Brain Academy
'
Age of Empires III
7Tetris DS
'
Civilization IV
8Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends
Over the Hedge
'
9Mario Hoops 3-on-3
'
Guild Wars Factions
10Pokémon Ranger
Teen Titans
Zoo Tycoon 2

PlacePlayStation 2PlayStation 3Xbox
1Madden NFL 07
'
Madden NFL 07
2Kingdom Hearts II
Madden NFL 07
Black
3Guitar Hero
Call of Duty 3
NCAA Football 07
4Final Fantasy XII
'
'
5NCAA Football 07
Ridge Racer 7
'
6Guitar Hero II
'
Fight Night Round 3
7'
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Major League Baseball 2K6
8'
NBA 2K7
'
9'
NBA 07
'
10Fight Night Round 3
'
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

PlaceXbox 360Wii
1Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
'
2Madden NFL 07
Red Steel
3Gears of War
'
4'
Rayman Raving Rabbids
5Fight Night Round 3
Call of Duty 3
6Saints Row
Madden NFL 07
7Dead Rising
'
8NCAA Football 07
'
9Call of Duty 3
Excite Truck
10'
'

Japan

  • Based on figures from Enterbrain:
Best-selling video games of 2006 in Japan
PlaceTitleConsoleUnits sold
1Pokémon Diamond and PearlNDS4,302,815
2New Super Mario Bros.NDS3,818,214
3Brain Training 2NDS3,748,638
4NDS2,485,264
5Final Fantasy XIIPS22,322,329
6Brain TrainingNDS1,991,116
7English TrainingNDS1,529,618
8Mario Kart DSNDS1,115,082
9Winning Eleven 10PS21,050,236
10Tetris DSNDS985,246

Europe

  • Based on estimates from Electronic Arts:
Video game console sales of 2006 in Europe

PlaceConsoleUnits sold
1Nintendo DS6.4 million
2PlayStation 26 million
3PlayStation Portable4 million
4Xbox 3602 million
5Wii0.7 million

Critically acclaimed titles

and GameRankings are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
GamePublisherRelease DatePlatformMC scoreGR score
'NintendoDecember 2, 2006GameCube96/10095%
'NintendoNovember 19, 2006Wii95/10094.58%
Gears of WarMicrosoft Game StudiosNovember 7, 2006Xbox 36094/10093.97%
'2K GamesMarch 20, 2006Xbox 36094/10093.85%
'2K GamesMarch 20, 2006Microsoft Windows94/10093.29%
Company of HeroesTHQSeptember 13, 2006Microsoft Windows93/10093.93%
ŌkamiCapcomApril 20, 2006PlayStation 293/10092.65%
Guitar Hero IIRedOctaneNovember 7, 2006PlayStation 292/10092.07%
Final Fantasy VI AdvanceSquare EnixNovember 30, 2006Game Boy Advance92/10091.02%
Final Fantasy XIISquare EnixMarch 16, 2006PlayStation 292/10090.77%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterUbisoftMarch 9, 2006Xbox 36090/10090.47%
GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game10tacle StudiosSeptember 29, 2006Microsoft Windows90/10089.4%
'UbisoftNovember 22, 2006Xbox 36088/10089.39%
'UbisoftOctober 24, 2006Xbox89/10089.31%
New Super Mario Bros.NintendoMay 15, 2006Nintendo DS89/10089.07%
Burnout RevengeElectronic ArtsMarch 7, 2006Xbox 36089/10088.57%
Armadillo RunPeter StockApril 22, 2006Microsoft Windows88/10089%
Elite Beat AgentsNintendoNovember 6, 2006Nintendo DS87/10088.33%
'Namco Bandai GamesJuly 6, 2006PlayStation Portable88/10088.27%
NCAA Football 07EA SportsJuly 18, 2006Xbox88/10088.12%
'CapcomJanuary 24, 2006PlayStation 287/10088%
'SegaNovember 10, 2006Microsoft Windows88/10087.18%
'Nippon Ichi SoftwareNovember 30, 2006PlayStation Portable87/10087.77%