1999 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Heroes of Might and Magic III System Shock 2 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Final Fantasy VIII Age of Empires II Crash Team Racing Grand Theft Auto 2 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Chrono Cross Unreal Tournament Pokémon Gold and Silver Donkey Kong 64 Super Smash Bros. Silent Hill EverQuest Homeworld Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Planescape: Torment
The year's most critically acclaimed video game was the Dreamcast title Soulcalibur Metacritic . The best-selling home video game worldwide was the Game Boy title Pokémon Red/Green/Blue /Yellow arcade game in Japan was Sega 's Virtua Striker 2
Events Hardware Top-rated games Game of the Year awards The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1999.
Critically acclaimed titles Metacritic and GameRankings Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
1999 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[18] [19] Game Publisher Release Date Platform(s) MC score GR score Soulcalibur Namco August 5, 1999 Dreamcast 98/100 96.56% Chrono Cross Square November 18, 1999 PlayStation 94/100[20] 92.28%[21] Gran Turismo 2 Sony Computer Entertainment December 11, 1999 PlayStation 93/100 92.42% Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Activision September 29, 1999 PlayStation 92/100 93.67% Unreal Tournament GT Interactive November 22, 1999 Microsoft Windows 92/100 93.57% Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Nintendo May 10, 1999 Game Boy Color — 92.63% Homeworld Sierra Entertainment September 28, 1999 Microsoft Windows 93/100 88.81% System Shock 2 Electronic Arts August 11, 1999 Microsoft Windows 92/100 92% Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Electronic Arts February 12, 1999 Microsoft Windows 92/100 91.88% Age of Empires II Microsoft September 30, 1999 Microsoft Windows 92/100 91.81% Medal of Honor Electronic Arts October 31, 1999 PlayStation 92/100 87.31% Crash Team Racing Sony Computer Entertainment September 30, 1999 PlayStation 88/100 91.78% FreeSpace 2 Interplay Entertainment September 30, 1999 Microsoft Windows 91/100 91.58% NFL 2K Sega September 9, 1999 Dreamcast — 91.53% Pokémon Silver Version Nintendo November 21, 1999 Game Boy Color — 91.35%[21] Pokémon Gold Version Nintendo November 21, 1999 Game Boy Color — 91.35%[21] Planescape: Torment Interplay Entertainment December 12, 1999 Microsoft Windows 91/100 90.63% Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Capcom September 22, 1999 PlayStation 91/100 88.21% Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Eidos Interactive August 16, 1999 PlayStation 91/100 88.16% The Longest Journey IQ Media Nordic November 18, 1999 Microsoft Windows 91/100 88% Mario Golf Nintendo June 11, 1999 Nintendo 64 91/100 87.32% Rayman 2: The Great Escape Ubisoft November 5, 1999 Microsoft Windows — 90.7% Ape Escape Sony Computer Entertainment May 31, 1999 PlayStation 90/100 90.44% Final Fantasy VIII Square February 11, 1999 PlayStation 90/100 89.42% Beetle Adventure Racing Electronic Arts February 28, 1999 Nintendo 64 90/100 89.1% Rayman 2: The Great Escape Ubisoft October 29, 1999 Nintendo 64 90/100 88.83% Syphon Filter 989 Studios February 17, 1999 PlayStation 90/100 86.93% Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo November 22, 1999 Nintendo 64 90/100 86.73% Shenmue Sega December 29, 1999 Dreamcast — 89.34%[21] Wipeout 3 Sony Computer Entertainment September 8, 1999 PlayStation 89/100 87.17% Resident Evil 2 Capcom October 31, 1999 Nintendo 64 89/100 86.93% Grandia Entertainment Software Publishing June 24, 1999 PlayStation 89/100 85.87% Descent 3 Interplay Entertainment June 17, 1999 Microsoft Windows 89/100[20] 84.36%[21] Flight Unlimited III Electronic Arts September 17, 1999 Microsoft Windows — 88.5% NBA 2K Sega November 10, 1999 Dreamcast — 88.3% NBA Live 2000 EA Sports October 31, 1999 Microsoft Windows — 88% Worms Armageddon Team17 January 29, 1999 Microsoft Windows — 87.71% All-Star Baseball 2000 Acclaim Entertainment April 8, 1999 Nintendo 64 — 87.69% EverQuest Sony Online Entertainment March 16, 1999 Microsoft Windows 85/100 87.68% Mario Golf Nintendo August 10, 1999 Game Boy Color — 87.65% Driver GT Interactive June 25, 1999 PlayStation 87/100 87.57% RollerCoaster Tycoon Hasbro Interactive March 22, 1999 Microsoft Windows — 87.54%
Famitsu Platinum Hall of FameThe following video game releases in 1999 entered Famitsu Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[22]
Financial performance Best-selling video game consoles Rank Manufacturer Game console Type Generation Sales Japan United States Europe Worldwide 1 Sony PlayStation Home 32-bit 2,570,000[23] 7,040,000[23] 11,750,000[23] 21,820,000[23] 2 Nintendo Game Boy / Game Boy Color Handheld 8-bit 4,180,000[24] 2,680,000+[25] Unknown 17,450,000[24] 3 Nintendo Nintendo 64 Home 64-bit 940,000[24] 3,538,000[26] Unknown 6,490,000[24] 4 Sega Dreamcast Home 128-bit 950,000[27] 1,700,000[28] 500,000+[29] 3,150,000+ 5 Bandai WonderSwan Handheld 16-bit 1,400,000[27] — Unknown 1,400,000 6 Sega Sega Genesis (Mega Drive)Home 16-bit — 431,000[26] Unknown 431,000+ 7 Nintendo Super NES / Super Famicom Home 16-bit 30,000[24] 15,000[26] Unknown 280,000[24] 8 Nintendo Famicom (NES)Home 8-bit 50,000[24] — — 50,000[24] 9 SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color Handheld 16-bit Unknown 25,000+[30] Unknown 25,000+ 10 Sega Sega Saturn Home 32-bit < 10,000[27] 6,100[26] Unknown 6,100+
Best-selling home video games The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games ) of 1999 in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.
Best-selling home video games in Japan, United States and Germany Rank Title Platform Sales Japan USA UK Germany Combined 1 Pokémon Red / Green / Blue / Yellow Game Boy 998,666[31] 8,900,000[32] Unknown Unknown 9,898,666+ 2 Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation 3,538,000[33] 1,000,000+[34] Unknown Unknown 4,538,000+ 3 Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver Pokémon Gold / Silver )Game Boy Color 4,444,000[33] — — — 4,444,000 4 Super Smash Bros. Dai Rantō Smash Brothers )Nintendo 64 1,520,000[35] 1,300,000[32] Unknown Unknown 2,820,000+ 5 Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo 64 739,000[33] 1,900,000[32] Unknown Unknown 2,639,000+ 6 Pokémon Pinball Game Boy Color 765,263[36] 1,800,000[32] — — 2,565,263 7 Pokémon Snap Nintendo 64 634,000[33] 1,500,000[32] — — 2,134,000 8 Dance Dance Revolution / 2ndReMix PlayStation 1,904,441[a] Unknown Unknown Unknown 1,904,441+ 9 Gran Turismo PlayStation 234,652[31] 1,300,000[32] Unknown 100,000+[37] 1,634,652+ 10 Driver PlayStation — 1,200,000[32] 200,000+[38] 200,000+[37] 1,600,000+
The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1999 in the United States and Europe.
Highest-grossing home video games in United States and Europe Rank Title Platform(s) Sales revenue United States [32] [39] Europe [40] Combined Inflation 1 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy $230,000,000 €60,388,924 ($64,362,515 ) $294,000,000 $540,000,000 2 Gran Turismo PlayStation $35,000,000 €94,444,000 ($100,658,000 ) $136,000,000 $249,000,000 3 Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo 64 $110,000,000 €20,561,696 ($21,914,656 ) $132,000,000 $241,000,000 4 Tomb Raider III Multi-platform Unknown €96,591,106 ($102,946,801 ) $102,946,801 +$188,290,234+ 5 Driver PlayStation $48,000,000 €43,112,063 ($45,948,837 ) $94,000,000 $172,000,000 6 FIFA 99 Multi-platform Unknown €86,316,959 ($91,996,615 ) $91,996,615 +$168,268,478+ 7 Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation $50,000,000 +[34] €26,549,294 ($28,296,238 ) $78,300,000 +$143,000,000+ 8 Pokémon Snap Nintendo 64 $75,000,000 — $75,000,000 $140,000,000 9 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Nintendo 64 Unknown €70,023,810 ($74,631,377 ) $74,631,377 +$136,501,176+ 10 Super Smash Bros. Nintendo 64 $66,000,000 Unknown $66,000,000 +$121,000,000+
United States In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1999.
Rank Title Platform Publisher Genre Sales Revenue Inflation Ref 1 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy Nintendo Role-playing 8,900,000 $230,000,000 $420,000,000 [32] [39] 2 Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo 64 Nintendo Platformer 1,900,000 $110,000,000 $200,000,000 3 Pokémon Pinball Game Boy Color Nintendo Pinball 1,800,000 $52,000,000 $95,000,000 4 Pokémon Snap Nintendo 64 Nintendo Photography 1,500,000 $75,000,000 $140,000,000 5 Super Smash Bros. Nintendo 64 Nintendo Fighting 1,300,000 $66,000,000 $121,000,000 6 Gran Turismo PlayStation Sony Racing simulation 1,300,000 $35,000,000 $64,000,000 7 Driver PlayStation GT Interactive Driving 1,200,000 $48,000,000 $88,000,000 8 Spyro the Dragon PlayStation Sony Platformer 1,200,000 Unknown Unknown [32] 9 Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation Square EA Role-playing 1,000,000+ $50,000,000 +$91,000,000+ [34] [39] 10 Frogger PlayStation Hasbro Interactive Action Unknown [41] [42]
Japan In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1999.
Rank Title Platform Sales First-day sales revenue Inflation Ref 1 Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver Pokémon Gold / Silver )GBC 4,444,000 Unknown Unknown [33] 2 Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation 3,538,000 ¥17,200,000,000 ($151,000,000) $276,000,000 [33] [43] 3 Dance Dance Revolution / 2ndReMix PlayStation 1,904,441 Unknown [a] 4 Nintendo All Star! Dai Rantō Smash Brothers N64 1,520,000+ Unknown [35] 5 Biohazard 3: Last Escape Resident Evil 3: Nemesis )PlayStation 1,465,000 Unknown [33] 6 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation 1,410,000 7 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark duel Stories GBC 1,208,000 8 Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue / Pikachu Pokémon )Game Boy 998,666 Unknown [31] 9 Derby Stallion '99 PlayStation 890,000 Unknown [33] 10 Minna no Golf 2 Everybody's Golf 2 )PlayStation 843,000
Europe In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1999.[40]
Rank Title Platform(s) Publisher Genre Sales revenue Inflation 1 Tomb Raider III Multi-platform Eidos Interactive Action-adventure €96,591,106 ($102,946,801 ) $188,290,234 2 Gran Turismo PlayStation Sony Racing simulation €94,444,000 ($100,658,000 ) $184,104,000 3 FIFA 99 Multi-platform Electronic Arts Sports €86,316,959 ($91,996,615 ) $168,262,287 4 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Nintendo 64 Nintendo Action-adventure €70,023,810 ($74,631,377 ) $136,501,176 5 Pokémon Red / Blue Game Boy Nintendo Role-playing €60,388,924 ($64,362,515 ) $117,719,374 6 Tekken 3 PlayStation Namco Fighting €57,209,778 ($60,974,181 ) $111,522,094 7 Tomb Raider II Multi-platform Eidos Interactive Action-adventure €54,477,514 ($58,062,134 ) $106,195,945 8 FIFA 2000 Multi-platform Electronic Arts Sports €53,519,616 ($57,041,207 ) $104,328,664 9 Colin McRae Rally Multi-platform Codemasters Racing €51,584,666 ($54,978,937 ) $100,556,761 10 Driver Multi-platform GT Interactive Driving €43,112,063 ($45,948,837 ) $84,040,662
In the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 1999.
Rank United Kingdom [38] [44] Germany [37] France Title Platform(s) Sales PlayStation Sales PC Sales 1 FIFA 2000 Multi-platform 200,000+ Driver 200,000+ Tiberian Sun 200,000+ Gran Turismo [45] 2 Driver Multi-platform 200,000+ Metal Gear Solid 200,000+ Age of Empires II 200,000+ Unknown 3 Metal Gear Solid PlayStation 200,000+ Need for Speed 4 100,000+ Die Siedler III 100,000+ 4 Gran Turismo PlayStation 200,000+ FIFA 99 100,000+ SimCity 3000 100,000+ 5 Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Multi-platform 200,000+ Gran Turismo 100,000+ RollerCoaster Tycoon 100,000+
Australia In Australia, the following titles were the top ten best-selling console games of 1999.[46]
Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan In Japan, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1999.[47]
Notable releases Notable releases of the year 1999 Release Title Windows 5th Gen 6th Gen Handheld Arcade January 15 WCW/nWo Thunder — PS1 — — — January 21 Super Smash Bros. — N64 — — — January 31 Guardian's Crusade — PS1 — — — January 31 Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter — PS1 — — — January 31 Silent Hill — PS1 — — — January 31 SimCity 3000 Yes — — — — February 1 WCW Nitro — N64 — — — February 8 Mario Party — N64 — — — February 11 Final Fantasy VIII Yes (2000) PS1 — — — February 12 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Yes — — — — February 13 Power Stone — — DC PSP (2006)Yes February 24 Street Sk8er — PS1 — — — February 28 Army Men 3D — PS1 — — — February 28 Beetle Adventure Racing — N64 — — — February 28 MLB 2000 — PS1 — — — February 28 Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance Yes — — — — March Need for Speed: High Stakes June PS1 — — — March 1 Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko — PS1 , N64 — GBC — March 3 Heroes of Might and Magic III Yes — — — — March 4 Dungeons and Dragons Collection — Sat — — — March 4 Pepsiman — PS1 — — — March 15 The King of Fighters '98 — PS1 — — 1998 March 16 EverQuest Yes — — — — March 17 Legend of Legaia — PS1 — — — March 18 UmJammer Lammy — PlayStation — — — March 19 King of Fighters R-2 — — — NGP — March 21 Pokémon Snap — N64 — — — March 22 RollerCoaster Tycoon Yes — Xbox (2003)— — April 7 Team Fortress Classic Yes — — — — April 10 Warzone 2100 Yes — — — — April 30 Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring — PS1 — — 1998 April 30 Aliens versus Predator Yes — — — — April 30 Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast Yes — — — — April 30 Pokémon Stadium 2 (Pokémon Stadium in North America)— N64 — — — April 30 Super Mario Bros. Deluxe — — — GBC — May Midtown Madness Yes — — — — May 12 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike — — DC (2000); PS2 , Xbox (2004)— Yes May 28 Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete — PS1 — — — May 31 Ape Escape — PS1 — — — June 8 Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor Yes — — — — June 19 Counter-Strike (video game) Yes — — — — June 17 Descent 3 Yes — — — — June 18 Heavy Gear II Yes — — — — June 24 Persona 2: Innocent Sin — PS1 — — — June 28 Pokémon Pinball — — — GBC — June 30 Croc 2 — PS1 — — — June 30 Driver October 11 PS1 — — — July 1 Attack of the Saucerman Yes PS1 — — — July 7 Dungeon Keeper 2 Yes — — — — July 14 Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (Japan) — N64 — — — July 20 Prince of Persia — — — GBC — July 23 Jagged Alliance 2 Yes — — — — July 26 Mario Golf — N64 — GBC — July 27 NCAA Football 2000 — PS1 — — — July 31 Biomotor Unitron — — — NGP — July 31 The New Tetris — N64 — — — July 31 Outcast Yes — — — — July 31 Seven Kingdoms II Yes — — — — August 11 System Shock 2 Yes — — — — August 12 Syphon Filter — PS1 — — — August 16 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Yes PS1 DC (2000)— — August 18 Re-Volt Yes N64 , PS1 DC — — August 27 Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun Yes — — — — August 31 Shadow Man Yes N64 , PS1 DC — — August 31 All Star Tennis '99 — N64 , PS1 — — — August 31 Gauntlet Legends — N64 — — — August 31 Madden NFL 2000 Yes PS1 , N64 — — — August 31 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear Yes PS1 (2001)DC (2000)GBA (2002)— September Jet Moto 3 — PS1 — — — September 1 Tiny Tank: Up Your Arsenal — PS1 — — — September 9 Sonic Adventure Yes (2004) — DC ; GC (2003)— — September 9 Soulcalibur — — DC — Yes September 17 Flight Unlimited III Yes — — — — September 22 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Yes (2000) PS1 DC (2000); GC (2003)— — September 28 Homeworld Yes — — — — September 28 Kingsley's Adventure — PS1 — — — September 29 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater — PS1 , N64 (2000)DC (2000)GBC (2000)— September 30 Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings Yes — — — — September 30 Crash Team Racing — PS1 — — — September 30 Final Fantasy VI Yes (2015) PS1 — — — September 30 Freespace 2 Yes — — — — September 30 Pac-Man World — PS1 — GBA (2004)— October 4 Disciples: Sacred Lands Yes — — — — October 11 Jet Force Gemini — N64 — — — October 16 Dead or Alive 2 — — DC , PS2 (2000)— Yes October 19 Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition — — — GB ; GBC — October 22 Grand Theft Auto 2 Yes PS1 DC (2000)GBC (2000)— October 29 Rayman 2: The Great Escape Yes PS1 (2000); N64 DC , PS2 (2000)— — October 31 Ballistic — PS1 — GBC , iOS (2008)1998 October 31 Pharaoh Yes — — — — October 31 Nocturne Yes — — — — October 31 Septerra Core Yes — — — — October 31 The Nomad Soul Yes — DC (2000)— — October 31 South Park: Chef's Luv Shack November 30 N64 , PS1 DC — — November 2 Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! — PS1 — — — November 2 Asheron's Call Yes — — — — November 3 Sim Theme Park Yes — — — — November 10 Half-Life: Opposing Force Yes — — — — November 10 Rippin' Riders Snowboarding — — DC — — November 11 Medal of Honor — PS1 — — — November 11 Age of Wonders Yes — — — — November 13 Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger Yes — — — — November 16 Tomorrow Never Dies — PS1 — — — November 18 Chrono Cross (Japan) — PS1 — — — November 19 Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned Yes — — — — November 19 The Longest Journey Yes — — — — November 21 Pokémon Gold and Silver (Japan)— — — GBC — November 22 Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Yes PS1 DC (2000)— — November 22 Unreal Tournament Yes — DC (2001), PS2 (2000)— — November 23 Dark Arms: Beast Busters — — — NGP — November 23 SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle Yes — — — — November 24 Donkey Kong 64 — N64 — — — November 24 Ultima IX: Ascension Yes — — — — November 26 Garou: Mark of the Wolves — — DC (2001); PS2 (2005), Xbox (2009)— Yes November 30 South Park Rally December 31 PS1 , N64 (2000)DC (2000)— — December 2 The Legend of Dragoon (Japan) — PS1 — — — December 2 Quake III Arena Yes — DC , PS2 (2000)— — December 10 Urban Chaos Yes PS1 (2000) DC (2000) — — December 11 Gran Turismo 2 — PS1 — — — December 12 Planescape: Torment Yes — — — — December 17 Mario Party 2 (Japan) — N64 — — — December 20 Crusaders of Might and Magic Yes PS1 (2000)— — — December 20 Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure — — — NGP — December 22 Harvest Moon 64 — N64 — — — December 22 Valkyrie Profile — PS1 — PSP (2006), Android /iOS (2018)— December 29 Shenmue — — DC — — December 30 Battlezone II: Combat Commander Yes — — — — December 31 Zombie Revenge — — DC — —
Business Lawsuits See also Notes References