This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "2000 in video games" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article may misquote or misrepresent many of its sources. Please see the cleanup page for more information. Editors: please remove this warning only after the diffs listed [[Wikipedia talk:Requests for comment/Jagged 85/(({subpage))}|here]] have been checked for accuracy. (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
List of years in video games
+...

The year 2000 saw the release of numerous video games as well as the launch of the PlayStation 2. Critically acclaimed games originally released in 2000 include sequels such as Madden NFL 2001, NBA Live 2001, NBA 2K1, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, Baldur's Gate II, Diablo II, Dragon Quest VII, Final Fantasy IX, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, NFL 2K1, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, along with new intellectual properties such as Deus Ex, Jet Set Radio, Perfect Dark, Skies of Arcadia, The Sims, SSX, Vagrant Story, and Sin and Punishment. The year's best-selling home video games worldwide were Pokémon games for the third year in a row (since 1998), while the highest-grossing arcade game in Japan was Virtua Striker 2.

Hardware releases

PlayStation 2

The list of game-related hardware released in 2000.

Month Day System
March 4 PlayStation 2JP[1][2]
July 7 PS One[3]
October 26 PlayStation 2NA[4]
November 24 PlayStation 2EU
30 PlayStation 2AU
December 9 WonderSwan ColorJP[5][6]
Unknown Sega NAOMI 2 (arcade)[7][8]

Top-rated games

Game of the Year awards

The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 2000.

Awards Game of the Year Developer Publisher Genre Platform(s) Ref
GameSpot Chrono Cross Squaresoft Square EA RPG PlayStation [9]
IGN [10]
BAFTA Interactive Awards Deus Ex Ion Storm Eidos Action RPG PC [11]
IGN [12]
Electronic Gaming Monthly Final Fantasy IX Squaresoft Square EA RPG PlayStation [13]
Golden Satellite Awards [14]
IGN The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Nintendo EAD Nintendo Action-adventure Nintendo 64 [15]
Nintendo Power Awards [16]
GameSpot The Sims Maxis EA Life sim PC [17]
GDC Awards [18]
Interactive Achievement Awards [19]
Electronic Gaming Monthly Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Neversoft Activision Sports PS1, DC [13]
Game Informer Multi-platform [20]
BAFTA Interactive Awards MediEvil 2 SCE Cambridge Sony Hack & slash PlayStation [21]
Pokémon Yellow Game Freak Nintendo RPG Game Boy Color [22]
Digitiser Metropolis Street Racer Bizarre Sega Racing Dreamcast [23]
Electronic Gaming Monthly Shenmue Sega AM2 Sega Action-adventure Dreamcast [13]
IGN Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel) KCEJ Konami Stealth GBC [24]
Interactive Achievement Awards Diablo II Blizzard North Blizzard Action RPG PC [25]
Japan Game Awards Phantasy Star Online Sonic Team Sega Action RPG Dreamcast [26]
Japan Media Arts Festival Dragon Quest VII Heartbeat Enix RPG PlayStation [27]
RPGFan Grandia II Game Arts Ubisoft RPG Dreamcast [28]
VSDA Awards Pokémon Stadium Nintendo EAD Nintendo Strategy Nintendo 64 [29]

Critically acclaimed titles

Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

The following video game releases in 2000 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[30]

Title Platform Publisher Genre Score (out of 40)
Vagrant Story PlayStation Squaresoft Action RPG 40
Tekken Tag Tournament PlayStation 2 Namco Fighting 38
Final Fantasy IX PlayStation Squaresoft RPG 38
Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi PlayStation Enix RPG 38
The Legend of Zelda: Mujura no Kamen (Majora's Mask) Nintendo 64 Nintendo Action-adventure 37
Phantasy Star Online Dreamcast Sega Action RPG 37
Ridge Racer V PlayStation 2 Namco Racing 36
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 2 (Shiren the Wanderer 2) Nintendo 64 Nintendo Roguelike 36
Biohazard – Code: Veronica (Resident Evil – Code: Veronica) Dreamcast Capcom Survival horror 35
Trade & Battle: Card Hero Game Boy Color Nintendo Card battle 35
The Typing of the Dead Dreamcast Sega Edutainment 35
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 7 PlayStation 2 Konami Sports 35
Grandia II Dreamcast Game Arts RPG 35
MotoGP PlayStation 2 Namco Racing 35
Tsumi to Batsu: Hoshi no Keishōsha (Sin and Punishment) Nintendo 64 Nintendo Rail shooter 35

Metacritic and GameRankings

Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

2000 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[31][32]
Game Publisher Release Date Platform(s) MC score GR score
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Activision September 20, 2000 PlayStation 98/100 94.75%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Activision November 7, 2000 Dreamcast 97/100 94.86%
Perfect Dark Nintendo May 22, 2000 Nintendo 64 97/100 94.55%
NFL 2K1 Sega September 7, 2000 Dreamcast 97/100 94.5%
Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel) Konami April 24, 2000 Game Boy Color — 95.61%
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Interplay Entertainment September 21, 2000 Microsoft Windows 95/100 93.97%
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Nintendo April 27, 2000 Nintendo 64 95/100 91.95%
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica Capcom February 3, 2000 Dreamcast 94/100 93.79%
Final Fantasy IX Square July 7, 2000 PlayStation 94/100 92.72%
Chrono Cross Square August 15, 2000 PlayStation 94/100 92.28%[33]
Jet Set Radio Sega June 29, 2000 Dreamcast 94/100 91.9%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Crave Entertainment May 22, 2000 Dreamcast — 94%
Rayman 2: The Great Escape Ubisoft March 21, 2000 Dreamcast — 93.05%
SSX EA Sports October 26, 2000 PlayStation 2 93/100 92.39%
Quake III Arena Activision October 22, 2000 Dreamcast 93/100 92.15%
Skies of Arcadia Sega October 5, 2000 Dreamcast 93/100 90.59%
NBA 2K1 Sega October 31, 2000 Dreamcast 93/100 89.69%
Le Mans 24 Hours Sega November 13, 2000 Dreamcast 93/100 89.5%
Paper Mario Nintendo August 11, 2000 Nintendo 64 93/100[34] 88.81%[35]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Activision February 29, 2000 Nintendo 64 — 92.4%
Vagrant Story Square February 10, 2000 PlayStation 92/100 91.97%
The Sims Electronic Arts February 4, 2000 Microsoft Windows 92/100 89.74%
Dead or Alive 2 Tecmo February 29, 2000 Dreamcast — 91.37%
Virtua Tennis Sega June 8, 2000 Dreamcast 92/100 91.37%
Banjo-Tooie Nintendo November 20, 2000 Nintendo 64 90/100 91.31%
Deus Ex Eidos Interactive June 23, 2000 Microsoft Windows 90/100 91.03%
Madden NFL 2001 EA Sports October 26, 2000 PlayStation 2 91/100 90.78%
Spyro: Year of the Dragon Sony Computer Entertainment October 24, 2000 PlayStation 91/100 90.59%
The Operative: No One Lives Forever Fox Interactive November 9, 2000 Microsoft Windows 91/100 88.34%
DOA2: Hardcore Tecmo October 26, 2000 PlayStation 2 91/100 87.38%
Mario Tennis Nintendo July 21, 2000 Nintendo 64 91/100 87.32%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Activision October 25, 2000 Microsoft Windows 91/100 85.77%
Mario Tennis Nintendo November 1, 2000 Game Boy Color — 90.78%[35]
Donkey Kong Country Nintendo November 4, 2000 Game Boy Color — 90.38%
Pokémon Puzzle Challenge Nintendo September 21, 2000 Game Boy Color — 90.2%
Crazy Taxi Sega January 24, 2000 Dreamcast — 90.19%
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes Capcom March 30, 2000 Dreamcast 90/100 90.15%
Colin McRae Rally 2.0 Codemasters July 7, 2000 PlayStation 90/100 88.82%
Grandia II Game Arts August 3, 2000 Dreamcast 90/100 88.81%
Madden NFL 2001 EA Sports August 22, 2000 PlayStation 90/100 88.65%
Jane's F/A-18 Electronic Arts January 11, 2000 Microsoft Windows — 88.43%
NHL 2001 EA Sports September 28, 2000 Microsoft Windows 90/100 86.75%
Rayman Revolution Ubisoft December 22, 2000 PlayStation 2 90/100[34] 85.17%[35]
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role THQ November 21, 2000 PlayStation 90/100 84.27%
Wario Land 3 Nintendo March 21, 2000 Game Boy Color — 90%
Phantasy Star Online Sega December 21, 2000 Dreamcast 89/100[34] 89.88%[35]
Sacrifice Interplay Entertainment November 17, 2000 Microsoft Windows 89/100 89.53%
Counter-Strike Sierra Entertainment November 9, 2000 Microsoft Windows 88/100 89.2%
Thief II Eidos Interactive March 23, 2000 Microsoft Windows 87/100 89.14%
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Microsoft August 24, 2000 Microsoft Windows 88/100 89.11%
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark Sony Online Entertainment April 24, 2000 Microsoft Windows 86/100 89.08%
Excitebike 64 Nintendo April 30, 2000 Nintendo 64 88/100 89.07%
Homeworld: Cataclysm Sierra Entertainment June 30, 2000 Microsoft Windows 89/100 88.64%
Samba de Amigo Sega April 27, 2000 Dreamcast 89/100 86.15%
WWF No Mercy THQ November 17, 2000 Nintendo 64 89/100 85.27%
Madden NFL 2001 EA Sports August 28, 2000 Nintendo 64 89/100 84.82%
Metropolis Street Racer Sega November 3, 2000 Dreamcast 87/100[34] 88.59%[35]
Diablo II Blizzard Entertainment June 28, 2000 Microsoft Windows 88/100 88.58%
MDK2 Interplay Entertainment March 31, 2000 Dreamcast N/A 88.08%
Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord Battlefront.com May 31, 2000 Microsoft Windows N/A 88%
Ultimate Fighting Championship Crave Entertainment August 29, 2000 Dreamcast 88/100 87.8%
Superbike 2001 EA Sports October 6, 2000 Microsoft Windows 88/100 87.32%
NHL 2001 EA Sports September 26, 2000 PlayStation 88/100 84.11%
Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche vs. KA-52 Hokum Empire Interactive July 31, 2000 Microsoft Windows 86/100 87.96%
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Eidos Interactive January 27, 2000 Dreamcast N/A 87.94%
PGA Championship Golf 2000 Sierra Entertainment June 1, 2000 Microsoft Windows N/A 87.77%
Steel Beasts Shrapnel Games September 24, 2000 Microsoft Windows 86/100 87.58%

Financial performance

Best-selling video game consoles

Rank Manufacturer Game console Type Generation Sales
Japan USA Europe Worldwide
1 Sony PlayStation Home 32-bit 940,000[36] 3,910,000[36] 2,940,000[36] 7,790,000[36]
2 Nintendo Game Boy / Game Boy Color Handheld 8-bit 3,370,000[37] Un­known Un­known 18,860,000[37]
3 Sony PlayStation 2 Home 128-bit 3,940,000[38] 1,088,000[39] 1,000,000[38] 6,400,000[38]
4 Nintendo Nintendo 64 Home 64-bit 200,000[37] 2,481,000[39] Un­known 2,850,000[37]
5 Sega Dreamcast Home 128-bit 470,000[40] 1,309,000[39] 500,000+[41][42] 2,279,000+
6 Bandai WonderSwan Handheld 16-bit 1,400,000[40] — — 1,400,000
7 Nintendo Super NES / Super Famicom Home 16-bit 10,000[37] 810[39] Un­known 90,000[37]
8 Sega Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) Home 16-bit — 54,000[39] Un­known 54,000+
9 Nintendo Famicom (NES) Home 8-bit 50,000[37] — — 50,000[37]
10 Sega Sega Saturn Home 32-bit Un­known 810[39] — 810+

Best-selling home video games

The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000 in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.

Best-selling home video games in Japan, United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.
Rank Title Platform(s) Sales
Japan USA[43] UK[44] Germany Combined
1 Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal GBC 3,448,900[45] 4,000,000+[46] — — 7,450,000+
2 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy 315,443[45] 3,700,000+[47][43] 900,000+ 800,000+[48] 5,715,443+
3 Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi PlayStation 3,900,000+[49] — — — 3,900,000+
4 Final Fantasy IX PlayStation 2,707,000[50] 987,354 Un­known Un­known 3,694,354+
5 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater PS1, N64 — 2,307,835 Un­known Un­known 2,307,835+
6 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation 315,173[51] 1,155,469 300,000+ 200,000+[48] 1,970,642+
7 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 PS1, N64 — 1,839,332 Un­known 100,000+[48] 1,939,332+
8 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask N64 601,542[45] 1,206,489 Un­known Un­known 1,808,031+
9 Pokémon Stadium (Pokémon Stadium 2) Nintendo 64 42,166[45] 1,701,820 Un­known Un­known 1,743,986+
10 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 Game Boy Color 1,669,308[51] — — — 1,669,308

The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 2000 in the United States and Europe.

Highest-grossing home video games in United States and Europe
Rank Title Platform(s) Sales revenue
USA[43][47] Europe[52] Combined Inflation
1 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy $94,000,000+ €296,000,000 ($273,000,000) $367,000,000+ $650,000,000+
2 Pokémon Stadium Nintendo 64 $100,000,000 €76,000,000 ($70,000,000) $176,000,000 $311,000,000
3 Pokémon Gold / Silver GBC $110,000,000+[46][47] — $110,000,000+ $190,000,000+
4 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Nintendo 64 $72,000,000 €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) $97,000,000 $170,000,000
5 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation $37,000,000 €63,000,000 ($58,000,000) $95,000,000 $168,000,000
6 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Multi-platform $74,000,000+ €20,000,000 ($18,000,000) $92,000,000 $160,000,000+
7 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater PS1, N64 $88,000,000 Un­known $88,000,000+ $160,000,000+
8 The Sims PC $50,773,114[53] €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) $83,773,114 $148,217,707
9 Madden NFL 2001 PS2, PS1 $68,000,000+ Un­known $68,000,000+ $120,000,000+
10 Diablo II PC $41,051,565[53] €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) $64,051,565 $113,324,856

Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000.

Rank Title Platform Developer Publisher Genre Sales Ref
1 Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi PlayStation Heartbeat Enix RPG 3,900,000+ [49]
2 Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon) Game Boy Color Game Freak Nintendo RPG 3,448,900 [45]
3 Final Fantasy IX PlayStation Squaresoft Squaresoft RPG 2,707,000 [50]
4 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists Game Boy Color Konami Konami Card battle 1,669,308 [51]
5 Hoshi no Kirby 64 (Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards) Nintendo 64 HAL Laboratory Nintendo Platformer 933,000 [50]
6 Mario Tennis 64 (Mario Tennis) Nintendo 64 Camelot Software Nintendo Sports 874,350 [45]
7 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III: Tri-Holygod Advent Game Boy Color Konami Konami Card battle 781,000 [50]
8 Mario Party 3 Nintendo 64 Hudson Soft Nintendo Party 767,000
9 Super Robot Taisen Alpha (Super Robot Wars Alpha) PlayStation Banpresoft Banpresto SRPG 714,789 [51]
10 Ridge Racer V PlayStation 2 Namco Namco Racing 689,000 [50]

United States

In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000.

Rank Title Platform(s) Publisher Genre Sales Revenue Inflation Ref
1 Pokémon Gold / Silver GBC Nintendo RPG 4,000,000+ $110,000,000+ $190,000,000+ [46][47]
2 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy Nintendo RPG 3,700,000+ $94,000,000+ $170,000,000+ [47][43]
3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater PS1, N64 Activision Sports 2,307,835 $88,000,000 $160,000,000
4 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 PS1, DC Activision Sports 1,839,332 $74,000,000+ $130,000,000+
5 Pokémon Stadium N64 Nintendo Strategy 1,701,820 $100,000,000 $177,000,000
6 Madden NFL 2001 PS2, PS1 EA Sports Sports 1,652,054 $68,000,000+ $120,000,000+
7 The Sims PC EA Life sim 1,207,313 $50,773,114 $89,831,620 [47][53]
8 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask N64 Nintendo Action-adventure 1,206,489 $72,000,000 $130,000,000 [47][43]
9 Gran Turismo 2 PS1 Sony Racing sim 1,155,469 $37,000,000 $65,000,000 [47][43]
10 Final Fantasy IX PS1 Square EA RPG 987,354 $39,000,000 $69,000,000 [43][54]

The following titles were the year's top six highest-grossing home video game franchises in the United States, in terms of video game software sales revenue.[55]

Rank Franchise Publisher(s) Sales revenue Inflation
1 Pokémon Nintendo, The Pokémon Company $414,800,290 $733,895,933
2 Mario Nintendo $126,280,160 $223,424,376
3 The Legend of Zelda Nintendo $93,103,817 $164,726,290
4 Final Fantasy Squaresoft, Sony, Eidos Interactive, Square EA $61,899,388 $109,517,062
5 Donkey Kong Nintendo $41,517,999 $73,456,773
6 Tomb Raider Eidos Interactive $28,874,777 $51,087,432

Europe

In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 2000.[52]

Rank Title Platform(s) Publisher Genre Sales revenue Inflation
1 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy Nintendo RPG €296,000,000 ($273,000,000) $483,000,000
2 Pokémon Stadium Nintendo 64 Nintendo Strategy €76,000,000 ($70,000,000) $124,000,000
3 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation Sony Racing sim €63,000,000 ($58,000,000) $103,000,000
4 FIFA 2001 Multi-platform EA Sports Sports €44,000,000 ($41,000,000) $73,000,000
5 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Multi-platform Eidos Quiz €43,000,000 ($40,000,000) $71,000,000
6 Pokémon Pinball GBC Nintendo Pinball €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) $58,000,000
The Sims PC EA Life sim €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) $58,000,000
8 Driver 2 PlayStation Infogrames Driving €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) $44,000,000
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Nintendo 64 Nintendo Action-adventure €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) $44,000,000
10 WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role PlayStation THQ Wrestling €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) $41,000,000
Diablo II PC Havas Action RPG €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) $41,000,000

In the United Kingdom and France, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 2000.

Rank United Kingdom[56][57] France
Title Platform(s) Sales[57][44]
1 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Multi-platform 1,000,000[58] Pokémon Yellow[59]
2 Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow Game Boy 900,000+ Un­known
3 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation 300,000+
4 WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role PlayStation Un­known
5 WWF SmackDown!

In Germany, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 2000.[48]

Rank Game Boy Sales PlayStation Sales PC Sales
1 Pokémon Red / Blue 800,000+ Gran Turismo 2 200,000+ Diablo II 200,000+
2 Pokémon Yellow Un­known Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 100,000+ The Sims 100,000+
3 Pokémon Pinball Un­known Resident Evil 3: Nemesis 100,000+ Sudden Strike 100,000+

Australia

In Australia, the following titles were the top ten best-selling console games of 2000.[60]

Rank Title Platform Developer Publisher Genre
1 Pokémon Gold Game Boy Color Game Freak Nintendo RPG
2 Pokémon Silver
3 Pokémon Stadium Nintendo 64 Nintendo EAD Nintendo Strategy
4 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation Polyphony Digital Sony Racing sim
5 Pokémon Yellow Game Boy Color Game Freak Nintendo RPG
6 Star Wars Episode I: Racer Nintendo 64 LucasArts LucasArts Racing
7 Pokémon Blue Game Boy Game Freak Nintendo RPG
8 Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo 64 Rare Nintendo Platformer
9 Pokémon Red Game Boy Game Freak Nintendo RPG
10 Perfect Dark Nintendo 64 Rare Nintendo First-person shooter

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 2000.[61]

Rank Title Developer Manufacturer Type Genre Points
1 Virtua Striker 2 ver. 99 / 2000 Sega AM2 Sega Software Sports 5753
2 Tekken Tag Tournament Namco Namco Software Fighting 3734
3 Samba de Amigo Sonic Team Sega Dedicated Rhythm 3204
4 Power Smash (Virtua Tennis) Sega AM3 Sega Software Sports 3075
5 Mr. Driller Namco Namco Software Puzzle 2951
6 Derby Owners Club Sega AM3 Sega Dedicated Simulation 2766
7 Time Crisis 2 Namco Namco Dedicated Light gun shooter 2741
8 The House of the Dead 2 Sega AM1 Sega Dedicated Light gun shooter 2700
9 Photo & Seal Kilala Make Software Make Software Other Purikura 2579
10 Garou: Mark of the Wolves SNK SNK Software Fighting 2439

Major events

Month Day(s) Event
January 7 Publisher ASC Games shut down due to financial issues arising with the ongoing delay of their upcoming game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – The Heart of Gaia.[62]
Digital Illusions CE acquires Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive.
February 4 First annual Dreamcast Championships, featuring the game Sonic Adventure.
Electronic Arts acquired DreamWorks Interactive, the games division of DreamWorks SKG, becoming EA Los Angeles.[63]
March Game Network hosts the second annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
April 14 Reuters reports that the PlayStation 2 console would have export controls placed on it by the Trade Ministry of Japan as the PS2 is sophisticated enough for military applications.[64][65][66][67]
Nintendo sells its 100 millionth Game Boy / Game Boy Color handheld game console.
May 11 The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the third Annual Interactive Achievement Awards and inducts Hironobu Sakaguchi of Square into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
11–13 The sixth annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held[68] along with the third annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E3.
24 Looking Glass Studios was shut down.[69]
June 19 Microsoft acquired Bungie.[70]
26 Computer Game Developers Association is renamed to International Game Developers Association.
30 Nintendo's Satellaview system ceases to receive broadcasts.
Sony acquired Verant Interactive.[71]
July Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association hosts first annual Executive Summit.
August 31 THQ acquired Volition.[72]
Ubi Soft acquired Red Storm Entertainment.
September 10 Sega.com launches SegaNet, their online console gaming network.
October 7–15 The World Cyber Games Challenge takes place in South Korea.
November 12 The Sega World Sydney amusement park closes its doors for good after three years of operation.
December 15 Nvidia acquires 3dfx Interactive.[73]
Unknown British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts its third annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards for multimedia technologies; 7 of 20 awards went to video games. David Bowie was awarded, in part, for his contributions to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul.
Mattel sells The Learning Company to Gores Technology Group.[74]
All of Sega's internal consumer research & development divisions become individual developer companies.
21-6 Productions was formed.
PopCap Games was formed.
Yeti Interactive was formed.
Team Liquid was formed.

Notable releases

Video game platforms
DC Dreamcast
GBC Game Boy Color
Jag Atari Jaguar
N64 Nintendo 64
PS1 PlayStation
PS2 PlayStation 2
Sat Sega Saturn
Win Windows
  

Series with new installments include Age of Empires, Banjo-Kazooie, Command & Conquer, Diablo, Excite, Final Fantasy, Grandia, The Legend of Zelda, Madden NFL, Marvel vs. Capcom, Mega Man Legends, Monkey Island, Mortal Kombat, Need for Speed, Persona, Pokémon, Resident Evil, Ridge Racer, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spyro, Tekken, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tony Hawk's, and Wario.

In addition, 2000 saw the introduction of several new properties, including Counter-Strike, Deus Ex, Hitman, Jet Set Radio, Kessen, Mario Tennis, Midnight Club, Paper Mario, Perfect Dark, The Sims, SSX, TimeSplitters, and Total War.

Notable releases of the year 2000
Release Title Windows 5th Gen 6th Gen Handheld Arcade
January 24 Crazy Taxi Yes (2002) — DC, GCN (2001), PS2 (2001) — Yes (1999)
January 24 Mario Party 2 — N64 — — —
January 27 Dragon Warrior Monsters — — — GBC —
January 31 Nox Yes — — — —
February 3 Resident Evil – Code: Veronica — — DC, GCN (2003), PS2 (2001) — —
February 4 The Sims Yes — — — —
February 10 Vagrant Story — PS1 — — —
February 19 SNK Gals' Fighters — — — NGP —
February 29 BattleSphere — Jag — — —
February 29 Dead or Alive 2 — — DC — Yes (1999)
February 29 Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Yes PS1 — GBA (2004) —
February 29 Rayman 2: The Great Escape — — DC — —
February 29 Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage — — DC — —
February 29 Pokémon Stadium[75] — N64 — — —
March 4 Kessen — — PS2 — —
March 21 Wario Land 3 — — — GBC —
March 23 Thief II: The Metal Age Yes — — — —
March 24 Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards — N64 — — —
March 27 Soldier of Fortune Yes — — — —
March 30 Final Fight Revenge — Sat — — Yes (1999)
March 31 Tech Romancer — — DC — —
March 31 MDK2 Yes — DC, PS2 (2001) — —
March 31 Starlancer Yes — DC — —
April 4 Star Wars Episode I: Racer — — DC — —
April 27 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask — N64 — — —
April 28 Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes — — DC — —
April 30 Excitebike 64 — N64 — — —
April 30 The Misadventures of Tron Bonne — PS1 — — —
April 30 Wild Arms 2 — PS1 — — —
May 4 4 Wheel Thunder — — DC — —
May 5 Metal Gear: Ghost Babel — — — GBC —
May 9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six — — DC — —
May 14 Bomberman Max — — — GBC —
May 16 SimCity 3000 Unlimited Yes — — — —
May 22 Earth 2150 Yes — — — —
May 22 Metal Slug 2nd Mission — — — NGP —
May 22 Perfect Dark — N64 — — —
May 24 Daikatana Yes — — — —
May 28 Bomberman 64: The Second Attack — N64 — — —
June 1 Evolva Yes — — — —
June 1 Ground Control Yes — — — —
June 4 Space Channel 5 — — DC — —
June 7 Dracula: Resurrection Yes — — — —
June 7 Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption Yes — — — —
June 12 Tomb Raider — — — GBC —
June 13 Shogun: Total War Yes — — — —
June 13 The Legend Of Dragoon — PS1 — — —
June 22 Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm — — DC — —
June 22 Omikron: The Nomad Soul — — DC — —
June 23 Deus Ex Yes — — — —
June 28 Diablo II Yes — — — —
June 28 Xtreme Sports — — — GBC —
June 29 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment — — — — —
June 29 Icewind Dale Yes — — — —
June 29 Jet Set Radio — — DC — —
June 29 Marvel vs Capcom 2 — — DC — —
June 30 Homeworld: Cataclysm Yes — — — —
June 30 Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — PS1 — — —
July 3 Dark Reign 2 Yes — — — —
July 13 Guilty Gear X Yes — PS2 (2001),DC(2003) GBA (2002) Yes
July 18 Threads of Fate — PS1 — — —
July 26 The King of Fighters 2000 Yes — DC , PS2 , PS4, Xbox 1 — Yes
July 29 Strider 2 — PS1 — — —
July 31 Spirit of Speed 1937 Yes — DC — —
August 1 Arcatera: The Dark Brotherhood Yes — — — —
August 1 Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 Yes — Linux (2001) , Mac OS — —
August 3 Shin Sangoku Musou (Japan) — — PS2 — —
August 15 Chrono Cross — PS1 — — —
August 24 Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Yes — — — —
August 26 Dragon Quest VII (Japan) — PS1 — — —
August 28 Mario Tennis — N64 — — —
August 30 WWF Royal Rumble — — DC — —
September 1 Spider-Man Yes PS1, GBC, N64 DC (2001) — —
September 12 Parasite Eve II — — PS1 — —
September 13 Lego Stunt Rally Yes — — — —
September 15 Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force Yes — PS2 (2001) — —
September 19 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Yes N64 (2001), PS1 DC GBA (2001), GBC —
September 24 Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Yes — — — —
September 24 The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy — — — GBC —
September 25 Buffy the Vampire Slayer — — — GBC —
September 25 Vampire Hunter D — PS1 — — —
September 26 Destruction Derby Raw — PS1 — — —
September 26 NHL 2001 Yes — PS2 — —
September 27 Dragon Warrior I & II — — — GBC —
September 28 F1 Championship Season 2000 Yes PS1 PS2 GBC —
October Zeus: Master of Olympus Yes — — — —
October 4 Blair Witch Volume I: Rustin Parr Yes — — — —
October 5 Skies of Arcadia — — DC — —
October 15 Pokémon Gold and Silver — — — GBC —
October 19 Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers Yes PS1, N64 PS2, DC GBC —
October 22 Quake III Arena — — DC — —
October 23 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Yes — — — —
October 23 TimeSplitters — — PS2 — —
October 24 Mega Man Legends 2 Yes PS1 — — —
October 25 Midnight Club: Street Racing — — PS2 GBA (2001) —
October 25 Ridge Racer V — — PS2 — —
October 25 Spyro: Year of the Dragon — PS1 — — —
October 26 FantaVision — — PS2 — —
October 26 Madden NFL 2001 — — PS2 — —
October 26 SSX — — PS2 — —
October 26 Tekken Tag Tournament — — PS2 — —
October 27 Bust-a-Move Millennium — — — GBC —
October 27 Rune Yes — PS2 , Mac OS , Linux — —
October 31 The Grinch — — DC — —
November 6 Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 — PS1 (2002) DC — —
November 6 Crash Bash — PS1 — — —
November 6 Incredible Crisis — PS1 — — —
November 6 The World Is Not Enough Yes PS1, N64 — GBC —
November 6 Shenmue — — DC — —
November 8 Escape from Monkey Island Yes — PS2 (2001) — —
November 9 The Operative: No One Lives Forever Yes — PS2 (2002) — —
November 9 Counter-Strike (video game) Yes Xbox, Retail and Steam (2003) Linux, Mac OS X (2013) — —
November 10 Timeline Yes — — — —
November 13 Final Fantasy IX Yes (2016) PS1 — — —
November 13 Madden NFL 2001 — — — GBC —
November 13 The Emperor's New Groove Yes PS1 — GBC —
November 14 Dexter's Laboratory: Robot Rampage — — — GBC —
November 14 The Powerpuff Girls: Bad Mojo Jojo — — — GBC —
November 14 Sonic Shuffle — — DC — —
November 16 Blues Brothers 2000 — N64 — — —
November 17 Sky Odyssey — — PS2 — —
November 17 Tomb Raider: Chronicles Yes PS1 DC — —
November 17 Sacrifice Yes — — — —
November 19 Hitman: Codename 47 Yes — — — —
November 20 007 Racing — PS1 — — —
November 20 Banjo-Tooie — N64 — — —
November 20 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker — PS1 — GBC —
November 20 Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX — — DC — —
November 22 Harvest Moon: Back to Nature — PS1 — — —
November 23 MechWarrior 4: Vengeance Yes — — — Yes
November 23 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen Yes — — — —
November 24 Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion Yes — — GBA (2001) —
November 30 Godzilla: The Series: Monster Wars — — — GBC —
November 30 Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers Yes N64 — — —
December 1 Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge Yes PS1 — — —
December 4 Evil Dead: Hail to the King — PS1 — — —
December 4 Pokémon Puzzle Challenge — — — GBC —
December 6 American McGee's Alice Yes — — — —
December 6 Grandia II — — DC — —
December 7 Giants: Citizen Kabuto Yes — — — —
December 7 Mario Party 3 (Japan) — N64 — — —
December 7 Project Justice — — DC — Yes
December 10 Monster Rancher Hop-A-Bout — PS1 — — —
December 13 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker — N64 — — —
December 14 Dark Cloud (Japan) — — PS2 — —
December 14 Pokémon Crystal (Japan) — — GBC — —
December 21 Phantasy Star Online (Japan) — — DC — —
December 30 ECW Anarchy Rulz — — DC — —

See also

References

  1. ^ Wiley, Lauren (2000). "Playstation2 Poised To Play Stateside". Vol. 13, no. 7. Emedia Magazine.
  2. ^ Johnston, Chris (January 2000). "Launch!". No. 1. Electronic Gaming Monthly.
  3. ^ "Business Development/Japan". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Archived from the original on April 22, 2004. Retrieved December 19, 2007.
  4. ^ "Sony announces PS2 launch date and price". GameSpot. May 13, 2000. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  5. ^ "Bandai announces release of WonderSwan color". Bandai. August 30, 2000. Archived from the original on November 4, 2004. Retrieved April 28, 2011 – via PromoDuck.
  6. ^ Harris, Craig (August 30, 2000). "WonderSwan Color Revealed". IGN. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  7. ^ "NASCAR Arcade". Edge. No. 90. November 2000. p. 67.
  8. ^ "NAOMI 2: Sega reveals its next gen arcade hardware". DC-UK. No. 16. December 2000. p. 41.
  9. ^ "GameSpot Console Game of the Year 2000". Gamespot.com. August 16, 2000. Archived from the original on May 10, 2001. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  10. ^ "PSX Best of 2000: Game of the Year". IGN. January 30, 2001. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Games – PC in 2000". BAFTA. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  12. ^ "Best of 2000 Awards", IGN, January 27, 2001, archived from the original on June 8, 2001, retrieved October 29, 2021
  13. ^ a b c "EGM's 2000 Games' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 141. April 2001. pp. 92–9.
  14. ^ Witham, Joseph (January 23, 2002). "Final Fantasy IX wins Golden Satellite Award". RPGamer. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2006.
  15. ^ "Best N64 Game of 2000". IGN. January 30, 2001. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  16. ^ "Nintendo Power Awards". Nintendo Power. No. 144. May 2001. pp. 90–7.
  17. ^ "GameSpot PC Game of the Year 2000". Gamespot.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2001. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  18. ^ "Game Developers Choice Awards 2000". gamechoiceawards.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  19. ^ "2000 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  20. ^ "25 Years Of Game Informer's GOTY Awards". GameInformer.com. January 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  21. ^ "Games – Console in 2000". BAFTA. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  22. ^ "Games – Mobile or Networked in 2000". BAFTA. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  23. ^ "Digitiser's Top Games of 2000". Digitiser. January 3, 2001. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  24. ^ "IGN.com's Best of 2000 Awards: Pocket Game of the Year". IGN. January 29, 2001. Archived from the original on June 10, 2001. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  25. ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts & Science Game of the Year 2000". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  26. ^ "第５回日本ゲーム大賞 受賞作品一覧" [List of winning works at the 5th Japan Game Awards]. Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 4, 2004. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  27. ^ "2000 Japan Media Arts Festival Awards" (in Japanese). Japan Media Arts Plaza, Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  28. ^ "RPGFan Feature - The Videogames of 2000". RPGFan. Archived from the original on February 2, 2001. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  29. ^ "Home Entertainment Awards – Video Games". Entertainment Merchants Association. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  30. ^ "週刊ファミ通クロスレビュープラチナ殿堂入りソフト一覧" [Weekly Famitsu Cross Review Platinum Hall of Fame Software List]. Geimin (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 27, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  31. ^ "Best Video Games for 2000". Metacritic. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  32. ^ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2000 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  33. ^ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2000 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  34. ^ a b c d "Best Video Games for 2001". Metacritic. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  35. ^ a b c d e "Highest-Ranking Games of 2001 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  36. ^ a b c d "Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware / PlayStation". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony. December 31, 2003. Archived from the original on April 22, 2004. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. Nintendo Co., Ltd. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  38. ^ a b c "PlayStation2 Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony. March 2007. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  39. ^ a b c d e f Clements, Matthew T.; Ohashi, Hiroshi (October 2004). "Indirect Network Effects and the Product Cycle: Video Games in the U.S., 1994–2002" (PDF). NET Institute. pp. 12, 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  40. ^ a b 小川 (Ogawa), 純生 (Sumio) (December 14, 2010). "テレビゲーム機の変遷 —ファミコン、スーパーファミコン、プレステ、プレステ2、Wiiまで—" [Recent Developments in Video Game Technology in Japan — Famicom, Super Famicom, Play Station, Play Station 2 and Wii —] (PDF). 経営論集 (Keiei Ronshū) (in Japanese) (77) (published March 2011): 1–17 (2). ISSN 0286-6439. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2021 – via Toyo University Academic Information Repository.
  41. ^ "Sega Europe Celebrates Dreamcast Success". IGN. October 14, 2000. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  42. ^ "500,000 European Dreamcasts Sold and Counting!". IGN. December 10, 1999. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g "The Best-Selling Games of 2000". GameSpot. January 16, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Games watch". The Guardian. November 2, 2000. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  45. ^ a b c d e f "2000年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP100" [2000 Game Software Annual Sales Top 300]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2001 ファミ通ゲーム白書2001 [Famitsu Game Whitebook 2001] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2001. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  46. ^ a b c "Burger King To Launch Pokemon-Themed GameBoy Promotion". Raving Toy Maniac. Burger King Corporation, Nintendo of America. December 8, 2000. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  47. ^ a b c d e f g h "TRST: Top Selling Games of 2000", IGN, January 19, 2001, retrieved October 30, 2021
  48. ^ a b c d "Marketdaten" [Market data] (PDF). MCV (in German). December 2000. p. 5.
  49. ^ a b Hoffman, Chris (November 2000). "Dragon Warrior VII". Gamers' Republic. No. 30. pp. 50–51 (50).
  50. ^ a b c d e "2000年のコンシューマーゲームソフトの売上" [2000 Consumer Game Software Sales]. Dengeki Oh (in Japanese). MediaWorks. Archived from the original on February 28, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  51. ^ a b c d "2000 Top 30 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The Magic Box. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  52. ^ a b "Milia 2001: Pokemons, les champions Eccsell" [Milia 2001: Pokemons, the Eccsell champions]. 01net (in French). February 14, 2001. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  53. ^ a b c Asher, Mark; Chick, Tom. "The Year's Ten Best-Selling Games". Quarter to Three. Archived from the original on February 2, 2001.
  54. ^ Schilling, Melissa (January 2005). "Game Not Over: Competitive Dynamics in the Video Game Industry". In Lampel, Joseph; Shamsie, Jamal; Lant, Theresa K. (eds.). The Business of Culture: Strategic Perspectives on Entertainment and Media. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 75–103.
  55. ^ Frauenfelder, Mark (May 2001). "Death Match". Wired. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  56. ^ "Appendix B: Top 10 software" (PDF). Unlimited learning: Computer and video games in the learning landscape. European Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). 2006. p. 51. Retrieved October 16, 2021. ((cite book)): |website= ignored (help)
  57. ^ a b Hebblethwaite, Luke (April 9, 2020). "UK Top Selling Games 2000". Ukie. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  58. ^ Gestalt (January 30, 2001). "Eidos Wants To Be A Millionaire". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018.
  59. ^ Lemaire, Oscar. "Animal Crossing New Horizons est le jeu vidéo le plus vendu de l'année 2020 en France en physique" [Animal Crossing New Horizons is the best-selling video game of the year 2020 in France in physical]. Twitter (in French). Ludostrie. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  60. ^ "Top 20 Console Games Ranked by Units Sold, 1998–2013". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  61. ^ Akagi, Masumi, ed. (January 15, 2001). ""Tekken TT", "Samba DE Amiga" Top Videos" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 626. Amusement Press, Inc. p. 18.
  62. ^ Mullen, Micheal (January 6, 2000). "ASC Games To Shut Down". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  63. ^ Kary, Tiffany (February 24, 2000). "EA buys Dreamworks Interactive". zdnet.com.
  64. ^ "PlayStation 2 exports to be restricted – again". theregister.co.uk.
  65. ^ "Sony's High-Tech Playstation2 Will Require Military Export License". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 2000.
  66. ^ "The Coming Information War Message Board - Msg: 13455269". siliconinvestor.com.
  67. ^ "New Straits Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  68. ^ "Attendance and Stats". IGN. June 8, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  69. ^ Mahardy, Mike (April 6, 2015). "Ahead of its time: The history of Looking Glass". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  70. ^ Bungie (March 6, 2007). "Bungie.net : Inside Bungie : History". Bungie.net. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  71. ^ Parker, Sam (June 1, 2000). "Sony Acquires Verant". Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  72. ^ Hanson, Ben (March 30, 2011). "The Secret History of Volition". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  73. ^ "3dfx Announces Three Major Initiatives To Protect Creditors and Maximize Shareholder Value". December 15, 2000. Archived from the original on April 5, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  74. ^ "Learning Co. Profits From Expense Cuts", SF Gate, March 6, 2001
  75. ^ Godfrey, John (July 2000). "Gotta Play 'Em All". Vol. 7, no. 7. FamilyPC.
Categories