2017 in video games
2017 saw the release of numerous video games as well as other developments in the video game industry. The Nintendo Switch console was released in 2017, which sold more than 14 million units by the end of 2017, exceeding the underperforming Wii U lifetime sales, and helped to revitalize Nintendo, alongside the "retro" Super NES Classic Edition console, the refreshed New Nintendo 2DS XL handheld, and a strategy for mobile gaming. Microsoft also released the higher-powered Xbox One X targeted for 4K resolutions and virtual reality support.
Top-rated games in 2017 included ', Super Mario Odyssey, Persona 5, ', and Horizon Zero Dawn. One of the most influential games of 2017 was PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which was released in early access for personal computers in March 2017 and by the end of the year had sold 30million units, breaking several concurrent player count records and established the battle royale genre. The highest-grossing game of the year was the mobile game Honor of Kings, known as Arena of Valor internationally. Considerable debate was held over the use of loot boxes in video games and whether they constituted gambling, coming to a head with the release of Star Wars Battlefront II.
Top rated games
Major awards
1These awards are sometimes given as one or two awards.Critically acclaimed games
is an aggregator of video game journalism reviews. It generally considers expansions and re-releases as separate entities.| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform | Average Score out of 100 |
| Super Mario Odyssey | Nintendo | October 27, 2017 | Nintendo Switch | 97 |
| ' | Nintendo | March 3, 2017 | Nintendo Switch, Wii U | 97 |
| ' | 2K | August 29, 2017 | PlayStation 4 | 93 |
| Larian Studios | September 14, 2017 | Microsoft Windows | 93 | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo | April 28, 2017 | Nintendo Switch | 92 |
| Ōkami HD | Capcom | December 12, 2017 | Microsoft Windows | 92 |
| What Remains of Edith Finch | Annapurna Interactive | July 19, 2017 | Xbox One | 92 |
| Retro City Rampage DX | Vblank Entertainment | August 3, 2017 | Nintendo Switch | 91 |
| SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition | Image & Form | December 28, 2017 | Nintendo Switch | 91 |
| Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove | Yacht Club Games | March 3, 2017 | Nintendo Switch | 91 |
| Opus Magnum | Zachtronics | December 8, 2017 | Microsoft Windows | 90 |
| Pinball FX 3: Universal Classics Pinball | Zen Studios | September 26, 2017 | Xbox One | 90 |
| Bayonetta | Sega | April 11, 2017 | Microsoft Windows | 90 |
| Linelight | My Dog Zorro | January 30, 2017 | Microsoft Windows | 90 |
Financial performance
According to analyst firm Newzoo, the video game industry had in global revenues, a 10% growth from 2016. This growth was primarily driven by mobile gaming, as 43% of those revenues came from this sector, a growth of 23.3% from 2016. Of the remaining, 29% came from consoles hardware and games, and 28% from personal computer games. SuperData similarly estimated the global video game market in 2017 was around, driven heavily by free-to-play mobile and computer games. Analyst firm Sensor Tower, which tracks revenue within the mobile industry, reported that of the in total revenues in 2017, came from mobile games, with the highest-grossing games being the free-to-play titles Monster Strike, Honor of Kings, Fate/Grand Order, Clash Royale, and Candy Crush Saga. The year's top-selling premium game was PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which sold 30million units in 2017.Within the United States, the video industry grew from 2016 by 18% to a total revenue of, with from hardware sales and from software and microtransactions, according to NPD Group and the Entertainment Software Association. Further, was spent on mobile gaming in 2017 in the United States, according to Sensor Tower. The top grossing revenue mobile games were Candy Crush Saga, , Clash of Clans, Mobile Strike, and Clash Royale.
Highest-grossing games worldwide
The following were 2017's top ten highest-grossing video games in terms of worldwide revenue across all platforms. Six of the top ten highest-grossing games are published or owned by Tencent.| Rank | Game | Revenue | Publisher | Genre | Platform | |
| 1 | Honor of Kings / Arena of Valor | Tencent | MOBA | Mobile | ||
| 2 | League of Legends | $2,100,000,000 | Riot Games / Tencent | MOBA | PC | |
| 3 | Dungeon Fighter Online | $1,600,000,000 | Nexon / Tencent | Beat 'em up | PC | |
| 4 | Fantasy Westward Journey | $1,500,000,000 | NetEase | MMORPG | Mobile | |
| 5 | CrossFire | $1,400,000,000 | Smilegate / Tencent | FPS | PC | |
| 6 | Monster Strike | $1,300,000,000 | Mixi | Physics | Mobile | |
| 7 | Clash Royale | $1,200,000,000 | Supercell / Tencent | Strategy | Mobile | |
| 8 | Clash of Clans | $1,200,000,000 | Supercell / Tencent | Strategy | Mobile | |
| 9 | $1,000,000,000 | Activision / Activision Blizzard | FPS | Multi-platform | ||
| 10 | Fate/Grand Order | $982,000,000 | Aniplex / Sony Music Entertainment Japan | RPG | Mobile |
Best-selling games by country
The following were 2017's top ten best-selling video games by country, in terms of software units sold on PC and console platforms, for the United States, Japan, and United Kingdom.| Rank | United States | Japan | United Kingdom |
| 1 | ' | Monster Hunter XX | FIFA 18 |
| 2 | NBA 2K18 | Pokémon Sun and Moon | ' |
| 3 | Destiny 2 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Grand Theft Auto V |
| 4 | Madden NFL 18 | ' | Assassin's Creed Origins |
| 5 | ' | Super Mario Maker | Star Wars Battlefront II |
| 6 | Grand Theft Auto V | ' | Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy |
| 7 | ' | ' | Destiny 2 |
| 8 | Star Wars: Battlefront II | Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon! | Gran Turismo Sport |
| 9 | Super Mario Odyssey | ' | ' |
| 10 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | 1-2-Switch | ' |
Events
Hardware releases
The list of game-related hardware released in 2017 in North America.| Month | Day | Console |
| January | 10 | New Shield Android TV |
| March | 3 | Nintendo Switch |
| July | 28 | New Nintendo 2DS XL |
| September | 29 | Super NES Classic Edition |
| November | 7 | Xbox One X |
Game releases
Series with new entries
Series with a new entry in 2017 included Assassin's Creed, Bomberman, Bubsy, Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Danganronpa, ', Destiny, ', Dragon Quest, Doom, Dynasty Warriors, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo, Gravity Rush, Halo Wars, Injustice, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel vs. Capcom, Mass Effect, Metroid, Need for Speed, Nier, Persona, ', Pokémon, Prey, Professor Layton, Resident Evil, Sniper Elite, ', Sonic the Hedgehog, Splatoon, Star Wars Battlefront, Super Mario, Tekken, The Evil Within, The Legend of Zelda, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Uncharted, Wipeout, Wolfenstein, WWE 2K, Xenoblade Chronicles, Yakuza and Yoshi.In addition, 2017 saw many new intellectual properties, such as Nioh, Hollow Knight, Horizon Zero Dawn, Cuphead, ELEX, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Fortnite, and .
January–March
April–June
July–September
October–December
Cancelled games
Cancelled
- '
- Scalebound
- '
- MetaWorld
Unavailable
- Club Penguin
- Firefall
- The Tomorrow Children
- Marvel Heroes
Footnotes