2015 in video games


The year 2015 saw releases of numerous video games as well as a follow-up to Nintendo's portable 3DS console, the New Nintendo 3DS. Top-rated games originally released in 2015 included ', ', Bloodborne, Undertale, and Fallout 4. Sales of video games in 2015 reached $61 billion, according to analysis firm SuperData, an 8% increase from 2014. Of this, the largest sector was in computer game sales and subscription services, accounting for $32 billion. Mobile games revenues were at $25.1 billion, a 10% increase from 2014. Digital sales on consoles made up the remaining $4 billion.
In the United States, the Entertainment Software Association and the NPD Group estimated total video game market revenues at $23.5 billion, a 5% increase from 2014. Of this, the total software market was $16.5 billion, with the NPD Group estimating retail sales subset at $13.1 billion. The ESA reported that there were 2,457 companies in the United States involved in developing or publishing video games that directly supported 65,678 workers with about another 154,000 indirectly supporting the industry, such as through contracting or video game journalism. The total contribution to the US's gross national product from the industry was $11.7 billion.
In the United Kingdom, the total video game market was valued at nearly 4.2 billion, according to figures from Ukie and MCV. The largest segments were in digital software and mobile games, while sales of consoles dropped to £689 million.

Major awards

The follow table summarizes the major awards given to video games and the people within the industry for titles released during 2015.
1These awards are sometimes given as one or two awards.

Events

Hardware releases

The list of game-related hardware released in 2015 in North America.
MonthDayConsole
February13New Nintendo 3DS
November10Steam Machine

Series with new entries

New installments in preexisting franchises came out for Anno, Assassin's Creed, ', Battlefield, Call of Duty, Disgaea, Dirt, Fallout, Fatal Frame, Five Nights at Freddy's, Forza Motorsport, Guitar Hero, Halo, Heroes of Might and Magic, Hotline Miami, Just Cause, King's Quest, Kirby, Magicka, Mario Party, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Mario & Luigi, Metal Gear, Minecraft, Mortal Kombat, Need for Speed, OlliOlli, Resident Evil, Rock Band, StarCraft, ', Tales, The Witcher, Tomb Raider, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Total War, Toy Soldiers, Xenoblade Chronicles, Yakuza and Yoshi. In addition, 2015 saw the release of several new properties, including Dying Light, Evolve, Life Is Strange, Bloodborne, Until Dawn and Splatoon, and indie titles such as Her Story, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rocket League, and Undertale.

Game releases

The list of games released in 2015 in North America.

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

MonthDayTitlePlatformSource
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1Lost Horizon 2Win
O
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1The Beginner's GuideWin, Mac
O
C
T
O
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6Read Only MemoriesWin, Mac, Lin
O
C
T
O
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6'PS3, PSVita
O
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O
B
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6'PS4
O
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O
B
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6'XBO
O
C
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O
B
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R
6Rock Band 4PS4, XBO
O
C
T
O
B
E
R
6'PS3, PS4
O
C
T
O
B
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6Super Meat BoyPS4, PSVita
O
C
T
O
B
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6'Win, PS4, PS3, XBO, X360
O
C
T
O
B
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6Prison ArchitectWin, Mac, Lin
O
C
T
O
B
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8Keep Talking and Nobody ExplodesWin
O
C
T
O
B
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9Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash3DS
O
C
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O
B
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9'PS4
O
C
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O
B
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13'PS4
O
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O
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13'Win, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO
O
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O
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13The Legend of Legacy3DS
O
C
T
O
B
E
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13The Talos Principle: Deluxe EditionPS4
O
C
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O
B
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13Wasteland 2: Director's CutWin, Mac, Lin, PS4, XBO
O
C
T
O
B
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13Corpse Party: Blood DrivePSVita
O
C
T
O
B
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13Secret PonchosWin
O
C
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O
B
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14The Age of DecadenceWin
O
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O
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15'iOS, Droid
O
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O
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15Mushroom 11Win
O
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15DownwellWin, iOS, Droid
O
C
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O
B
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15BroforceWin, Mac, Lin
O
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T
O
B
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16Yoshi's Woolly WorldWiiU
O
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O
B
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16'Win, PS3, PS4, PSVita, X360, XBO
O
C
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O
B
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20'PSVita
O
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O
B
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20'3DS
O
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O
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20'3DS
O
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O
B
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20Guitar Hero LivePS4, PS3, X360, XBO, WiiU
O
C
T
O
B
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20Life Is Strange: Episode 5 — PolarizedWin, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO
O
C
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O
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20'Win, PS4, XBO
O
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20Rebel GalaxyWin
O
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B
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20Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 — The Vault of the TravelerWin, PS3, PS4
O
C
T
O
B
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20Tales of ZestiriaPS3, PS4, Win
O
C
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O
B
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20Sword Coast LegendsWin, Mac, Lin
O
C
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O
B
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20Just Dance 2016PS3, PS4, X360, XBO, WiiU
O
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T
O
B
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20Just Dance UnlimitedPS4, XBO, WiiU
O
C
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O
B
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20'Win, PS4, PS3, X360, XBO, WiiU, 3DS
O
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T
O
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20Primal Carnage: ExtinctionPS4
O
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O
B
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21Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 — The Vault of the TravelerX360, XBO
O
C
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O
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21KingdomWin
O
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21PixelJunk Shooter UltimateWin
O
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22'iOS
O
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22'WiiU
O
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22Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 — The Vault of the TraveleriOS, Droid
O
C
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22Mugen SoulsWin
O
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B
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23Assassin's Creed SyndicatePS4, XBO
O
C
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O
B
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23'3DS
O
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O
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23'Win
O
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23'Win
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23'Win, Mac
O
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26Chaos RebornWin
O
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27'PS4, XBO
O
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O
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27'Win, Mac, Lin, PS4, XBO
O
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27'XBO
O
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B
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27'Win, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO, iOS, Droid
O
C
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O
B
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27MX vs. ATV Supercross EncoreWin, PS4, XBO
O
C
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O
B
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27The ParkWin
O
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O
B
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27WWE 2K16PS3, PS4, X360, XBO
O
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O
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28'Mac, Lin
O
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B
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28'Win
O
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29'Win
O
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29Human Resource MachineWin, WiiU
O
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29'Win
O
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B
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29'iOS, WiiU
O
C
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O
B
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30Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V GenerationWin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		2Sonic Lost WorldWin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		3Anno 2205Win
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		3Need for SpeedPS4, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		3Norn9: Var CommonsPSVita
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		3Dragon Fin SoupWin, PS3, PS4, PSVita, Mac, Lin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		5MushihimesamaWin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		5The Room ThreeiOS
N
O
V
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M
B
E
R		6'Win, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		6'PS4, 3DS, WiiU, X360, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		6Yo-Kai Watch3DS
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		10Fallout 4Win, PS4, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		10Nintendo Badge Arcade3DS
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		10Rise of the Tomb RaiderX360, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		10Rodea the Sky Soldier3DS, WiiU, Wii
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		10'Win, Mac
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		10'PSVita
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		13'PS4, X360, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		13'PS4, PSVita
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		13Football Manager 2016Win, Mac, Lin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		13'WiiU
N
O
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E
M
B
E
R		17Game of Thrones: Episode 6 — The Ice DragonWin, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		17Star Wars: BattlefrontWin, PS4, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		17Stella Glow3DS
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		17The Crew: Wild RunPS4, Win, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		18DeadpoolPS4, XBO
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		18Hard WestWin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		19Assassin's Creed SyndicateWin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		19Mordheim: City of the DamnedWin
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		20Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon3DS
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		20'WiiU
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		24'PS4
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		24'Win, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO, iOS, Droid
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		24'iOS, Android
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		24TeslagradPSVita
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		25Strania -The Stella Machina-Win
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R		26'Win
D
E
C
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M
B
E
R		1'PS4, XBO
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		1Just Cause 3Win, PS4, XBO
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		1Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeWin, PS4, XBO
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		1FIM Speedway Grand Prix 15Win
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		1Eastside Hockey ManagerWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		1'3DS, PS3, PS4, WiiU, Win, X360, XBO
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		2Valhalla HillsWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		3Dariusburst Chronicle SavioursWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		3'Win
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		3Dreamfall Chapters: Book Four — RevelationsWin, Mac, Lin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		3Pokémon Picross3DS
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		3Rayman AdventuresiOS, Droid
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		3Shadow Complex RemasteredWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		4Xenoblade Chronicles XWiiU
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		5Final Fantasy VIIPS4
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		5Nuclear ThroneWin, Mac, Lin, PS4, PSVita
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		5BastionPSVita
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		5Fat Princess AdventuresPS4
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		7Dirt RallyWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		7HelldiversWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		7Zombie VikingsWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		8'PSVita
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		8Ben and EdWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		8'PS4
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		8Yakuza 5PS3
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		10Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-Win
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		10'Win
D
E
C
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M
B
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R		10'iOS, Droid
D
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M
B
E
R		10Among the SleepPS4
D
E
C
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M
B
E
R		10'Win, Mac
D
E
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M
B
E
R		10SteamWorld Heist3DS
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		10Terraria3DS
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		11Devil's ThirdWiiU
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		15King's Quest: Chapter 2 — Rubble Without a CausePS3, PS4
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		15'Win, Mac, Lin
D
E
C
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M
B
E
R		16Final Fantasy VIWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		16King's Quest: Chapter 2 — Rubble Without a CauseWin, X360, XBO
D
E
C
E
M
B
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R		17'iOS
D
E
C
E
M
B
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R		17MinecraftWiiU
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		17Scribblenauts UnlimitediOS, Android
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		18UnderrailWin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		18The EscapistsX360
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		21Saints Row IVLin
D
E
C
E
M
B
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R		21'Lin
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R		22'PS4, PSVita
D
E
C
E
M
B
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R		22'Win, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO, iOS, Droid
D
E
C
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M
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R		22'PS3, PSVita
D
E
C
E
M
B
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R		22PS4

Cancelled video games

Cancelled

and GameRankings are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
GamePublisherRelease DatePlatformMC scoreGR score
Grand Theft Auto VRockstar GamesApril 14, 2015Microsoft Windows96/10095.07%
Out of the Park Baseball 16Out of the Park DevelopmentsMarch 23, 2015Microsoft Windows91/10095.25%
'KonamiSeptember 1, 2015Xbox One95/10090.38%
JourneySony Computer EntertainmentJuly 21, 2015PlayStation 492/10094.8%
UndertaleToby FoxSeptember 15, 2015Microsoft Windows92/10094.11%
'Larian StudiosOctober 27, 2015Microsoft Windows94/10090%
Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2NintendoApril 23, 2015Wii U90/10093.5%
The SwapperCurve StudiosJune 5, 2015Xbox One92/10093.33%
'CD ProjektMay 19, 2015Microsoft Windows93/10092.11%
'KonamiSeptember 1, 2015PlayStation 493/10091.59%
'KonamiSeptember 1, 2015Microsoft Windows91/10092.75%
'CD ProjektMay 19, 2015PlayStation 492/10092.23%
BloodborneSony Computer EntertainmentMarch 24, 2015PlayStation 492/10090.66%
Shovel KnightYacht Club GamesApril 21, 2015PlayStation Vita92/10090.4%
'CD ProjektOctober 13, 2015PlayStation 490/10091.19%
'CD ProjektMay 19, 2015Xbox One91/10090.7%
Shovel KnightYacht Club GamesApril 21, 2015PlayStation 490/10091%
'CD ProjektOctober 13, 2015Xbox One90/10091%
80 DaysInkleSeptember 29, 2015Microsoft Windows84/10091%
Shovel Knight: Plague of ShadowsYacht Club GamesSeptember 17, 2015Microsoft Windows89/10090.5%
Nuclear ThroneVlambeerDecember 5, 2015Microsoft Windows88/10090.43%
'NintendoFebruary 13, 2015Nintendo 3DS89/10090.39%
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 – The Vault of the TravelerTelltale GamesOctober 20, 2015PlayStation 490/10089.89%
Broken AgeDouble Fine ProductionsApril 28, 2015PlayStation Vita90/10089%
Roche FusionamulwareJanuary 23, 2015Microsoft Windows85/10090%
'JoymasherJuly 15, 2015Microsoft Windows80/10090%
Fallout 4Bethesda SoftworksNovember 10, 2015Xbox One88/10089.79%
BastionWarner Bros. Interactive EntertainmentApril 7, 2015PlayStation 489/10089.73%
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First SinBandai Namco EntertainmentApril 7, 2015Xbox One89/10089.71%
Super Mario MakerNintendoSeptember 10, 2015Wii U88/10089.41%
3D Streets of Rage 2SegaApril 29, 2015Nintendo 3DS89/10089.33%
'Roll7March 3, 2015PlayStation Vita85/10089.33%
Rocket LeaguePsyonixJuly 7, 2015Microsoft Windows86/10089.22%
Ori and the Blind ForestMicrosoft StudiosMarch 11, 2015Microsoft Windows88/10089.2%
Fire Emblem Fates: Special EditionNintendoJune 25, 2015Nintendo 3DS88/10089.07%
Pillars of EternityParadox InteractiveFebruary 13, 2015Microsoft Windows89/10088.7%
'CD ProjektOctober 13, 2015Microsoft Windows89/10088.64%
'ActivisionSeptember 15, 2015Xbox One89/10087.75%
3D Gunstar HeroesSegaJune 24, 2015Nintendo 3DS89/10086.44%
Zen Pinball 2: Star Wars RebelsSony Computer EntertainmentApril 28, 2015PlayStation 488/10088.75%
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 – The Vault of the TravelerTelltale GamesOctober 20, 2015Microsoft Windows86/10088.65%
Forza Motorsport 6Microsoft StudiosSeptember 15, 2015Xbox One87/10088.63%
Fallout 4Bethesda SoftworksNovember 10, 2015PlayStation 487/10088.6%
Ori and the Blind ForestMicrosoft StudiosMarch 11, 2015Xbox One88/10088.52%
'Warner Bros. Interactive EntertainmentJune 23, 2015PlayStation 487/10088.45%
Crypt of the NecroDancerBrace Yourself GamesApril 23, 2015Microsoft Windows87/10088.12%
The Talos PrincipleDevolver DigitalOctober 13, 2015PlayStation 488/10088.06%
'Focus Home InteractiveOctober 27, 2015PlayStation 488/10087.86%
Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Games SeriesTelltale GamesOctober 20, 2015Xbox One88/10087.5%
'Blizzard EntertainmentNovember 10, 2015Microsoft Windows88/10087.49%
'Focus Home InteractiveOctober 27, 2015Xbox One88/10087.25%
Fire Emblem Fates: RevelationNintendoJuly 9, 2015Nintendo 3DS88/10086.73%
Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Games SeriesTelltale GamesOctober 20, 2015Microsoft Windows85/10087.71%
Homeworld Remastered CollectionGearbox SoftwareFebruary 25, 2015Microsoft Windows86/10087.66%

GameRankings was shut down and redirected to Metacritic, another review aggregator, on December 9, 2019.

Best-selling games

Highest-grossing games

The following were 2015's top ten highest-grossing video games in terms of worldwide revenue across all platforms.
RankGameRevenuePublisherGenrePlatformBusiness model
1League of Legends$1,628,000,000Riot Games / TencentMOBAPCFree-to-play
2Clash of Clans$1,345,000,000Supercell / SoftBank GroupStrategyMobileFree-to-play
3Puzzle & DragonsGungHo Online Entertainment / SoftBank GroupPuzzleMobileFree-to-play
4Monster StrikeMixiPhysicsMobileFree-to-play
5CrossFire$1,110,000,000Smilegate / TencentFPSPCFree-to-play
6Dungeon Fighter Online$1,052,000,000Neople / NexonBeat 'em upPCFree-to-play
7'$1,000,000,000Activision / Activision BlizzardFPSMulti-platformBuy-to-play
8World of Warcraft$814,000,000Blizzard Entertainment / Activision BlizzardMMORPGPCSubscription
9'$799,000,000MZStrategyMobileFree-to-play
10Fallout 4$750,000,000Bethesda Softworks / ZeniMax MediaARPGMulti-platformBuy-to-play