Best-selling consoles of 2001
The PlayStation 2 was the best-selling console of 2001, with about 18.6 million units sold worldwide, ahead of the Game Boy Advance (14 million) and the PlayStation (9.7 million).
Every system in 2001
Units sold worldwide from January 1 to December 31, 2001, with each system's share of the tracked total and its change on 2000.
| # | System | Maker | Units in 2001 | Share | vs 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  PlayStation 2 | 18.58M | 33% | +188% | |
| 2 |  Game Boy Advance | 13.96M | 25% | New | |
| 3 |  PlayStation | 9.65M | 17% | +24% | |
| 4 |  Game Boy / Game Boy Color | 7.76M | 14% | −59% | |
| 5 |  Nintendo GameCube | 2.19M | 4% | New | |
| 6 |  Xbox | 1.51M | 3% | New | |
| 7 |  Nintendo 64 | 1.4M | 3% | −59% | |
| 8 |  Sega Dreamcast | 646,165 | 1% | −79% |
A year's units are the difference between each console's curve at the start and the end of the year: the makers' published cumulative totals, with a straight line between two of them. Systems without published figures around 2001 are left out, so the tracked total is not the whole market.
Frequently asked questions
What was the best-selling console of 2001?
The PlayStation 2, with about 18.6 million units sold worldwide, ahead of the Game Boy Advance (14 million) and the PlayStation (9.7 million). Units per year are estimated from the makers' published totals.
How many consoles were sold in 2001?
The 8 systems with enough published figures for 2001 add up to about 55.7 million units. Systems without figures around 2001 are left out, so the whole market was larger.
How did the PlayStation 2 do in 2001 compared with 2000?
It sold about 18.6 million units in 2001, against about 6.4 million in 2000.
Figures can measure shipments, customer sales or estimates; these are not directly interchangeable. Between reports our model projects an estimate, not observed transactions. The changing digits show the model's output, not its accuracy. Its inputs and assumptions are corrected when new figures are available. Sources and method