# 2000 in video games

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
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, Hitman, 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

The list of game-related hardware released in 2000.
| Month | Day | System |
| March | 4 | PlayStation 2$^{JP}$ |
| July | 7 | PS One |
| October | 26 | PlayStation 2$^{NA}$ |
| November | 24 | PlayStation 2$^{EU}$ |
| November | 30 | PlayStation 2$^{AU}$ |
| December | 9 | WonderSwan Color$^{JP}$ |
| Unknown | Unknown | Sega NAOMI 2 (arcade) |

## 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) |
| GameSpot | Chrono Cross | Squaresoft | Square EA | RPG | PlayStation |
| IGN | Chrono Cross | Squaresoft | Square EA | RPG | PlayStation |
| BAFTA Interactive Awards | Deus Ex | Ion Storm | Eidos | Action RPG | PC |
| IGN | Deus Ex | Ion Storm | Eidos | Action RPG | PC |
| Electronic Playground | Deus Ex | Ion Storm | Eidos | Action RPG | PC |
| GameSpy | Deus Ex | Ion Storm | Eidos | Action RPG | PC |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | Final Fantasy IX | Squaresoft | Square EA | RPG | PlayStation |
| Golden Satellite Awards | Final Fantasy IX | Squaresoft | Square EA | RPG | PlayStation |
| Electronic Playground | Final Fantasy IX | Squaresoft | Square EA | RPG | PlayStation |
| Core Magazine | Final Fantasy IX | Squaresoft | Square EA | RPG | PlayStation |
| IGN | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | Nintendo 64 |
| Nintendo Power Awards | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | Nintendo 64 |
| GameRevolution | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | Nintendo 64 |
| Electronic Playground | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | Nintendo 64 |
| DailyRadar UK | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | Nintendo 64 |
| Electronic Playground | Jet Set Radio | Smilebit | Sega | Platform | Dreamcast |
| GameSpot | The Sims | Maxis | EA | Life sim | PC |
| GDC Awards | The Sims | Maxis | EA | Life sim | PC |
| Interactive Achievement Awards | The Sims | Maxis | EA | Life sim | PC |
| GamePower | The Sims | Maxis | EA | Life sim | PC |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | Neversoft | Activision | Sports | PS1, DC |
| Game Informer | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | Neversoft | Activision | Sports | Multi-platform |
| GameRevolution | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | Neversoft | Activision | Sports | PS1 |
| BAFTA Interactive Awards | MediEvil 2 | SCE Cambridge | Sony | Hack & slash | PlayStation |
| BAFTA Interactive Awards | Pokémon Yellow | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG | Game Boy Color |
| Digitiser | Metropolis Street Racer | Bizarre | Sega | Racing | Dreamcast |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | Shenmue | Sega AM2 | Sega | Action-adventure | Dreamcast |
| IGN | Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel) | KCEJ | Konami | Stealth | GBC |
| Interactive Achievement Awards | Diablo II | Blizzard North | Blizzard | Action RPG | PC |
| Japan Game Awards | Phantasy Star Online | Sonic Team | Sega | Action RPG | Dreamcast |
| Japan Media Arts Festival | Dragon Quest VII | Heartbeat | Enix | RPG | PlayStation |
| RPGFan | Grandia II | Game Arts | Ubisoft | RPG | Dreamcast |
| VSDA Awards | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Strategy | Nintendo 64 |

### 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.
| 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) :
| 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% |
| 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 | 88.81% |
| 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 10, 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% |
| 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 | 85.17% |
| 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 | 89.88% |
| 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 | 88.59% |
| 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 | Sales | Sales | Sales |
| Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Japan | USA | Europe | Worldwide |
| 1 | Sony | PlayStation | Home | 32-bit | 940,000 | 3,910,000 | 2,940,000 | 7,790,000 |
| 2 | Nintendo | Game Boy / Game Boy Color | Handheld | 8-bit | 3,370,000 | Un­known | Un­known | 18,860,000 |
| 3 | Sony | PlayStation 2 | Home | 128-bit | 3,940,000 | 1,088,000 | 1,000,000 | 6,400,000 |
| 4 | Nintendo | Nintendo 64 | Home | 64-bit | 200,000 | 2,481,000 | Un­known | 2,850,000 |
| 5 | Sega | Dreamcast | Home | 128-bit | 470,000 | 1,309,000 | 500,000+ | 2,279,000+ |
| 6 | Bandai | WonderSwan | Handheld | 16-bit | 1,400,000 | — | — | 1,400,000 |
| 7 | Nintendo | Super NES / Super Famicom | Home | 16-bit | 10,000 | 810 | Un­known | 90,000 |
| 8 | Sega | Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) | Home | 16-bit | — | 54,000 | Un­known | 54,000+ |
| 9 | Nintendo | Famicom (NES) | Home | 8-bit | 50,000 | — | — | 50,000 |
| 10 | Sega | Sega Saturn | Home | 32-bit | Un­known | 810 | — | 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 | Sales | Sales | Sales | Sales |
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Japan | USA | UK | Germany | Combined |
| 1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | GBC | 3,448,900 | 4,000,000+ | — | — | 7,450,000+ |
| 2 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | 315,443 | 3,700,000+ | 900,000+ | 800,000+ | 5,715,443+ |
| 3 | Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi | PlayStation | 3,900,000+ | — | — | — | 3,900,000+ |
| 4 | Final Fantasy IX | PlayStation | 2,707,000 | 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 | 1,155,469 | 300,000+ | 200,000+ | 1,970,642+ |
| 7 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | PS1, N64 | — | 1,839,332 | Un­known | 100,000+ | 1,939,332+ |
| 8 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | N64 | 601,542 | 1,206,489 | Un­known | Un­known | 1,808,031+ |
| 9 | Pokémon Stadium (Pokémon Stadium 2) | Nintendo 64 | 42,166 | 1,701,820 | Un­known | Un­known | 1,743,986+ |
| 10 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 | Game Boy Color | 1,669,308 | — | — | — | 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 | Sales revenue | Sales revenue | Sales revenue |
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | USA | Europe | Combined | Inflation |
| 1 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | $94,000,000+ | €296,000,000 ($273,000,000) | $367,000,000+ | $670,000,000+ |
| 2 | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo 64 | $100,000,000 | €76,000,000 ($70,000,000) | $176,000,000 | $321,000,000 |
| 3 | Pokémon Gold / Silver | GBC | $110,000,000+ | — | $110,000,000+ | $200,000,000+ |
| 4 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo 64 | $72,000,000 | €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) | $97,000,000 | $180,000,000 |
| 5 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | $37,000,000 | €63,000,000 ($58,000,000) | $95,000,000 | $173,000,000 |
| 6 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | Multi-platform | $74,000,000+ | €20,000,000 ($18,000,000) | $92,000,000 | $170,000,000+ |
| 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 | €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) | $83,773,114 | $152,960,803 |
| 9 | Madden NFL 2001 | PS2, PS1 | $68,000,000+ | Un­known | $68,000,000+ | $124,000,000+ |
| 10 | Diablo II | PC | $41,051,565 | €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) | $64,051,565 | $116,951,350 |

#### Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Sales |
| 1 | Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi | PlayStation | Heartbeat | Enix | RPG | 3,900,000+ |
| 2 | Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon) | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG | 3,448,900 |
| 3 | Final Fantasy IX | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 2,707,000 |
| 4 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists | Game Boy Color | Konami | Konami | Card battle | 1,669,308 |
| 5 | Hoshi no Kirby 64 (Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards) | Nintendo 64 | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo | Platformer | 933,000 |
| 6 | Mario Tennis 64 (Mario Tennis) | Nintendo 64 | Camelot Software | Nintendo | Sports | 874,350 |
| 7 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III: Tri-Holygod Advent | Game Boy Color | Konami | Konami | Card battle | 781,000 |
| 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 |
| 10 | Ridge Racer V | PlayStation 2 | Namco | Namco | Racing | 689,000 |

#### 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 |
| 1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver | GBC | Nintendo | RPG | 4,000,000+ | $110,000,000+ | $200,000,000+ |
| 2 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | Nintendo | RPG | 3,700,000+ | $94,000,000+ | $170,000,000+ |
| 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+ | $140,000,000+ |
| 5 | Pokémon Stadium | N64 | Nintendo | Strategy | 1,701,820 | $100,000,000 | $183,000,000 |
| 6 | Madden NFL 2001 | PS2, PS1 | EA Sports | Sports | 1,652,054 | $68,000,000+ | $124,000,000+ |
| 7 | The Sims | PC | EA | Life sim | 1,207,313 | $50,773,114 | $92,706,310 |
| 8 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | N64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 1,206,489 | $72,000,000 | $130,000,000 |
| 9 | Gran Turismo 2 | PS1 | Sony | Racing sim | 1,155,469 | $37,000,000 | $68,000,000 |
| 10 | Final Fantasy IX | PS1 | Square EA | RPG | 987,354 | $39,000,000 | $71,000,000 |
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.
| Rank | Franchise | Publisher(s) | Sales revenue | Inflation |
| 1 | Pokémon | Nintendo, The Pokémon Company | $414,800,290 | $757,381,244 |
| 2 | Mario | Nintendo | $126,280,160 | $230,574,151 |
| 3 | The Legend of Zelda | Nintendo | $93,103,817 | $169,997,675 |
| 4 | Final Fantasy | Squaresoft, Sony, Eidos Interactive, Square EA | $61,899,388 | $113,021,704 |
| 5 | Donkey Kong | Nintendo | $41,517,999 | $75,807,454 |
| 6 | Tomb Raider | Eidos Interactive | $28,874,777 | $52,722,274 |

#### Europe

In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 2000.
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Genre | Sales revenue | Inflation |
| 1 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | Nintendo | RPG | €296,000,000 ($273,000,000) | $498,000,000 |
| 2 | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Strategy | €76,000,000 ($70,000,000) | $128,000,000 |
| 3 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | Sony | Racing sim | €63,000,000 ($58,000,000) | $106,000,000 |
| 4 | FIFA 2001 | Multi-platform | EA Sports | Sports | €44,000,000 ($41,000,000) | $75,000,000 |
| 5 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Multi-platform | Eidos | Quiz | €43,000,000 ($40,000,000) | $73,000,000 |
| 6 | Pokémon Pinball | GBC | Nintendo | Pinball | €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) | $60,000,000 |
| 6 | The Sims | PC | EA | Life sim | €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) | $60,000,000 |
| 8 | Driver 2 | PlayStation | Infogrames | Driving | €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) | $46,000,000 |
| 8 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) | $46,000,000 |
| 10 | WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | PlayStation | THQ | Wrestling | €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) | $42,000,000 |
| 10 | Diablo II | PC | Havas | Action RPG | €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) | $42,000,000 |
In the United Kingdom and France, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 2000.
| Rank | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | France |
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales | France |
| 1 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Multi-platform | 1,000,000 | Pokémon Yellow |
| 2 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | 900,000+ | Un­known |
| 3 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | 300,000+ | Un­known |
| 4 | WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | PlayStation | Un­known | Un­known |
| 5 | WWF SmackDown! | PlayStation | Un­known | Un­known |
In Germany, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 2000.
| 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.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre |
| 1 | Pokémon Gold | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG |
| 2 | Pokémon Silver | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG |
| 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.
| 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. |
| January | | Digital Illusions CE acquires Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive. |
| February | 4 | First annual Dreamcast Championships, featuring the game Sonic Adventure. |
| February | | Electronic Arts acquired DreamWorks Interactive, the games division of DreamWorks SKG, becoming EA Los Angeles. |
| 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. |
| April | | 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. |
| May | 11–13 | The sixth annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held along with the third annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E3. |
| May | 24 | Looking Glass Studios was shut down. |
| June | 19 | Microsoft acquired Bungie. |
| June | 26 | Computer Game Developers Association is renamed to International Game Developers Association. |
| June | 30 | Nintendo's Satellaview system ceases to receive broadcasts. |
| June | | Sony acquired Verant Interactive. |
| July | | Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association hosts first annual Executive Summit. |
| August | 31 | THQ acquired Volition. |
| August | | 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. |
| Unknown | 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. |
| Unknown | Unknown | Mattel sells The Learning Company to Gores Technology Group. |
| Unknown | Unknown | All of Sega's internal consumer research & development divisions become individual developer companies. |
| Unknown | Unknown | 21-6 Productions was formed. |
| Unknown | Unknown | PopCap Games was formed. |
| Unknown | Unknown | Yeti Interactive was formed. |
| Unknown | Unknown | 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 | 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 | — | 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 24 | Mega Man Legends 2 | Yes | PS1 | — | — | — |
| October 25 | Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 25 | Spyro: Year of the Dragon | — | PS1 | — | — | — |
| October 26 | FantaVision | — | — | PS2 | — | — |
| October 26 | Madden NFL 2001 | — | — | PS2 | — | — |
| October 26 | Midnight Club: Street Racing | — | — | PS2 | GBA (2001) | — |
| October 26 | Ridge Racer V | — | — | PS2 | — | — |
| October 26 | SSX | — | — | PS2 | — | — |
| October 26 | TimeSplitters | — | — | 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 | Crime Cities | Yes | | | | |
| 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 | — | — |