2001 in video games

List of years in video games


2001 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2002, NBA Live 2002, NBA 2K2, WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Dead or Alive 3, Final Fantasy X, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Myst III: Exile, Crazy Taxi 2, SSX Tricky, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Sonic Adventure 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and Virtua Fighter 4. New intellectual properties include Ace Attorney, Advance Wars, Animal Crossing, Burnout, Gothic, Black & White, Devil May Cry, Fatal Frame, Ghost Recon, Halo, Jak and Daxter, Max Payne, Oni, Onimusha: Warlords, Operation Flashpoint, Pikmin, Pro Evolution Soccer, Red Faction, Serious Sam, and Tropico.

Three major video game systems were released in 2001: the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance by Nintendo, and the Xbox by Microsoft.[1] Sega, which had been a major competitor in the video game hardware market to this point, ended its involvement in the market after the failure of the Dreamcast.[2] The year 2001 is remembered for its influence on the video game industry with the release of many games recognized as classics.[3][4] Many video games released in 2001 defined or redefined their respective genres, including hack and slash game Devil May Cry,[5][6] first-person shooter game Halo: Combat Evolved,[7][8] and open world action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto III, which is regarded as an industry-defining work.[9][10]

The year has been retrospectively considered one of the best and most influential in video game history due to the release of numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential titles across all platforms and genres at the time. It was the peak year for the sixth generation of video game consoles, with the launch of the GameCube and Xbox, the latter focusing on online games (following SegaNet the previous year), and the Dreamcast's last year of production with Sega's exit from console manufacturing. Storytelling and mature themes also became a more mainstream trend.[11][12] The year's best-selling video game worldwide was Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, the fourth year in a row for the Pokémon series (since 1998). The year's most critically acclaimed titles were Gran Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy X in Japan, and Halo and Grand Theft Auto III in the West.

Hardware releases

Game Boy Advance
Month Day Console
March 21 Game Boy Advance
September 14 GameCube
November 15 Xbox
16 Pokémon Mini[13]

Top-rated games

Major awards

Critically acclaimed titles

Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

In Japan, the following video game releases in 2001 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[14]

Title Platform(s) Publisher Genre Score (out of 40)
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PlayStation 2 Sony Racing simulation 39
Final Fantasy X PlayStation 2 Squaresoft Role-playing 39
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren GB2 Game Boy Color Chunsoft Roguelike 38
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PlayStation 2 Konami Stealth 38
Culdcept Second Dreamcast Media Factory Turn-based strategy 37
Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Super Smash Bros. Melee) GameCube Nintendo Fighting 37
Dōbutsu no Mori + (Animal Crossing) GameCube Nintendo Social simulation 37
Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 2 (The Last Hope) Game Boy Advance Enix Roguelike 36
Madden NFL 2001 PlayStation 2 Square EA Sports 35
Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords) PlayStation 2 Capcom Hack and slash 35
Kessen II PlayStation 2 Koei Real-time tactics 35
Crazy Taxi 2 Dreamcast Sega Driving 35
Zeonic Front: Kidō Senshi Gundam 0079 (Mobile Suit Gundam) PlayStation 2 Bandai Strategy 35
Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001 Dreamcast, PS2 Capcom Fighting 35
Magical Vacation Game Boy Advance Nintendo Role-playing 35
Battle Network Rockman EXE 2 (Mega Man Battle Network 2) Game Boy Advance Capcom Tactical role-playing 35

Metacritic and GameRankings

In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

2001 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[15][16]
Game Publisher Release Date Platform(s) MC score GR score
Halo: Combat Evolved Microsoft Game Studios November 15, 2001 Xbox 97/100 95.54%
Grand Theft Auto III Rockstar Games October 22, 2001 PlayStation 2 97/100 95.19%
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Konami November 13, 2001 PlayStation 2 96/100 95.09%
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Sony Computer Entertainment April 28, 2001 PlayStation 2 95/100 94.54%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Activision October 30, 2001 PlayStation 2 97/100 93.43%
Devil May Cry Capcom August 23, 2001 PlayStation 2 94/100 92.6%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Activision June 11, 2001 Game Boy Advance 95/100 89.88%
Madden NFL 2002 EA Sports August 19, 2001 PlayStation 2 94/100 92.32%
NBA 2K2 Sega October 24, 2001 Dreamcast 93/100 92.82%
Mario Kart: Super Circuit Nintendo July 21, 2001 Game Boy Advance 93/100 91.54%
SSX Tricky EA Sports November 5, 2001 PlayStation 2 92/100 92.49%
Advance Wars Nintendo September 10, 2001 Game Boy Advance 92/100 92.38%
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 Nintendo December 14, 2001 Game Boy Advance 92/100[17] 92.36%[18]
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Nintendo February 27, 2001 Game Boy Color — 92.2%
Final Fantasy X Square July 19, 2001 PlayStation 2 92/100 91.73%
Super Smash Bros. Melee Nintendo November 21, 2001 GameCube 92/100 90.52%
Conker's Bad Fur Day Rare March 5, 2001 Nintendo 64 92/100 89.28%
NHL 2002 EA Sports September 24, 2001 PlayStation 2 92/100 88.84%
Pro Evolution Soccer Konami March 15, 2001 PlayStation 2 — 91.69%
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Nintendo February 27, 2001 Game Boy Color — 91.37%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Activision November 18, 2001 GameCube 91/100 91.12%
IL-2 Sturmovik 1C Company November 18, 2001 Windows 91/100 90.65%
Golden Sun Nintendo August 1, 2001 Game Boy Advance 91/100 89.1%
Twisted Metal: Black Sony Computer Entertainment June 18, 2001 PlayStation 2 91/100 88.52%
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Konami March 21, 2001 Game Boy Advance 91/100 88.11%
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil Namco March 22, 2001 PlayStation 2 91/100 84.76%
Madden NFL 2002 EA Sports November 17, 2001 GameCube 89/100 90.39%
Ico Sony Computer Entertainment September 24, 2001 PlayStation 2 90/100 90.29%
NCAA Football 2002 EA Sports July 23, 2001 PlayStation 2 90/100 90.25%
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Sony Computer Entertainment December 3, 2001 PlayStation 2 90/100 90.22%
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader LucasArts November 18, 2001 GameCube 90/100 90.04%
Black & White Electronic Arts March 30, 2001 Windows 90/100 89.79%
NFL 2K2 Sega September 19, 2001 Dreamcast 90/100 89.35%
Civilization III Infogrames October 30, 2001 Windows 90/100 88.75%
Madden NFL 2002 EA Sports October 31, 2001 Xbox 90/100 88.72%
Unreal Tournament Infogrames March 13, 2001 Dreamcast 90/100 87.8%
Virtua Tennis 2 Sega October 24, 2001 Dreamcast 90/100 87.22%
Dance Dance Revolution Konami March 6, 2001 PlayStation 90/100 83.63%
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Microsoft October 16, 2001 Windows 90/100 82.44%
Shenmue II Sega September 6, 2001 Dreamcast — 89.63%
Max Payne Gathering of Developers July 23, 2001 Windows 89/100 89.26%
NASCAR Racing 4 Sierra Entertainment February 6, 2001 Windows 89/100 88.5%
NBA Street EA Sports June 19, 2001 PlayStation 2 89/100 86.92%
Pikmin Nintendo October 26, 2001 GameCube 89/100 86.71%
Final Fantasy Chronicles Square June 29, 2001 PlayStation 89/100 86.7%
NHL 2002 EA Sports December 10, 2001 Xbox 89/100 86.33%
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies Namco September 13, 2001 PlayStation 2 89/100 86.07%
Max Payne Rockstar Games December 12, 2001 Xbox 89/100 85.95%
Silent Hill 2 Konami September 24, 2001 PlayStation 2 89/100 85.82%
Sonic Adventure 2 Sega June 23, 2001 Dreamcast 89/100 83.26%
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Interplay Entertainment June 22, 2001 Windows 88/100 88.73%
Super Monkey Ball Sega September 14, 2001 GameCube 87/100 88.7%
Red Faction THQ May 22, 2001 PlayStation 2 88/100 88.32%
Dark Age of Camelot Vivendi Universal Games October 10, 2001 Windows 88/100 88.08%
Return to Castle Wolfenstein Activision November 19, 2001 Windows 88/100 86.75%
SSX Tricky EA Sports December 10, 2001 Xbox 88/100 86.6%
Wario Land 4 Nintendo August 21, 2001 Game Boy Advance 88/100 85.34%
Madden NFL 2002 EA Sports August 13, 2001 PlayStation 88/100 85.08%
Tribes 2 Sierra Entertainment March 28, 2001 Windows 88/100 84.85%
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis Nintendo June 21, 2001 Game Boy Advance 88/100[17] 83.62%[18]

Financial performance

Best-selling home video games

Best-selling home video games in Japan and the United States
Rank Title Platform(s) Publisher Sales
Japan United States[19] Combined
1 Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal Game Boy Color Nintendo 826,125[a] 3,127,659 3,953,784
2 Final Fantasy X PlayStation 2 Squaresoft 2,434,015[20] 746,632[21] 3,180,647
3 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PlayStation 2 Sony 1,656,959[20] 1,172,322 2,829,281
4 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PlayStation 2 Konami 750,560[20] 1,800,000+[22] 2,550,560+
5 Madden NFL 2002 PS2, PlayStation EA Sports — 2,220,112 2,220,112
6 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages Game Boy Color Nintendo 772,858[20] 1,248,191 2,021,049
7 Grand Theft Auto III PlayStation 2 Rockstar — 1,965,832 1,965,832
8 Super Mario Advance Game Boy Advance Nintendo 777,899[23] 1,172,323+[24][19] 1,950,222+
9 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone PlayStation, PC EA 83,954[23] 1,628,744[19][25] 1,712,698
10 The Sims PC EA — 1,482,182[25] 1,482,182
Highest-grossing home video games in the United States and Europe
Rank Title Platform(s) Sales revenue
USA[19][24][26] Europe[27] Combined Inflation
1 Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal GBC $91,038,324 €221,000,000 ($198,000,000) $289,038,324 $513,000,000
2 Grand Theft Auto III PlayStation 2 $98,940,325 €54,000,000 ($48,000,000) $146,940,325 $261,000,000
3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Multi-platform $55,148,445[19][24][25] €92,000,000 ($82,000,000) $137,148,445 $244,000,000
4 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PlayStation 2 $58,264,403 €64,000,000 ($57,000,000) $115,264,403 $205,000,000
5 Madden NFL 2002 PS2, PS1 $110,000,000 Un­known $110,000,000+ $200,000,000+
6 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Multi-platform $81,000,000 €24,000,000 ($21,000,000) $102,000,000 $181,000,000
7 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PlayStation 2 $87,000,000+ — $87,000,000+ $154,000,000+
8 The Sims PC $60,499,079[25] €25,000,000 ($22,000,000) $82,499,079 $147,000,000
9 Super Mario Advance GBA $37,000,000+ €23,000,000 ($21,000,000) $56,000,000+ $99,000,000+
10 FIFA Football 2002 Multi-platform Un­known €52,000,000 ($47,000,000) $47,000,000+ $83,000,000+

Japan

Best-selling home video games in Japan
Rank Title Platform Sales Sales revenue Inflation Ref
1 Final Fantasy X PS2 2,434,015 ¥17,600,000,000+ ($145,000,000+) $257,000,000+ [20][28]
2 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PS2 1,656,959 Un­known [20]
3 Dragon Quest Monsters 2 PlayStation 1,138,756 Un­known [23]
4 Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi PlayStation 1,039,443 Un­known [20]
5 Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords) PS2 1,000,000+ Un­known [29][30]
6 Minna no Golf 3 (Everybody's Golf 3) PS2 871,167 Un­known [20]
7 Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Smash Bros. Melee) GameCube 838,237
8 Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon) GBC 826,125 Un­known [a]
9 Winning Eleven 5 (Pro Evolution Soccer) PS2 789,515 Un­known [20]
10 Super Mario Advance GBA 777,899 Un­known [23]

United States

Best-selling home video games in the United States
Rank Title Platform(s) Sales Revenue Inflation Ref
1 Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal Game Boy Color 3,127,659 $91,038,324 $162,000,000 [19][24][26]
2 Madden NFL 2002 PlayStation 2, PlayStation 2,220,112 $110,000,000 $200,000,000 [24][19]
3 Grand Theft Auto III PlayStation 2 1,965,832 $98,940,325 $180,000,000 [24][19]
4 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PlayStation 2 1,800,000+ $87,000,000+ $150,000,000+ [22][24]
5 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 PlayStation 2, PlayStation 1,693,037 $81,000,000 $144,000,000 [24][19]
6 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone PlayStation, PC 1,628,744 $55,148,445 $98,000,000 [19][24][25]
7 The Sims PC 1,482,182 $60,499,079 $110,000,000 [25]
8 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages Game Boy Color 1,248,191 $39,000,000 $69,000,000 [24][19]
9 Super Mario Advance Game Boy Advance 1,172,323+ $35,000,000+ $62,000,000+ [24][19]
10 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PlayStation 2 1,172,322 $58,264,403 $103,000,000 [24][19]

PAL regions

Highest-grossing home video games in Europe[27]
Rank Title Platform(s) Publisher Genre Sales revenue Inflation
1 Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal Game Boy Color Nintendo Role-playing €221,000,000 ($198,000,000) $352,000,000
2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Multi-platform Electronic Arts Action-adventure €92,000,000 ($82,000,000) $150,000,000
3 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PlayStation 2 Sony Racing sim €64,000,000 ($57,000,000) $101,000,000
4 Grand Theft Auto III PlayStation 2 Rockstar Games Action-adventure €54,000,000 ($48,000,000) $85,000,000
5 FIFA Football 2002 Multi-platform EA Sports Sports €52,000,000 ($47,000,000) $83,000,000
6 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Multi-platform Eidos Interactive Quiz €33,000,000 ($30,000,000) $53,000,000
7 FIFA 2001 Multi-platform EA Sports Sports €31,000,000 ($28,000,000) $50,000,000
8 Final Fantasy IX PlayStation Squaresoft Role-playing €30,000,000 ($27,000,000) $48,000,000
9 Black & White PC Electronic Arts God game €28,000,000 ($25,000,000) $44,000,000
10 The Sims PC Electronic Arts Life simulation €25,000,000 ($22,000,000) $39,000,000
Best-selling home video games in Australia[31]
Rank Title Platform Developer Publisher Genre
1 Pokémon Crystal Game Boy Color Game Freak Nintendo Role-playing
2 Pokémon Gold
3 Pokémon Silver
4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone PlayStation Argonaut Games Electronic Arts Action-adventure
5 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Game Boy Color Griptonite Games Role-playing
6 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PlayStation 2 Polyphony Digital Sony Racing simulation
7 Gran Turismo 2 PlayStation
8 Pokémon Stadium 2 Nintendo 64 Nintendo EAD Nintendo Turn-based strategy
9 Super Mario Advance Game Boy Advance Nintendo R&D2 Platformer
10 Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped PlayStation Naughty Dog Sony

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan[32]
Rank Title Developer Manufacturer Type Genre Points
1 Canvas Shot / Flash Shot / Chaopi Omron Omron Other Purikura 8712
2 Derby Owners Club Sega AM3 Sega Dedicated Simulation 3837
3 Battle Gear 2 Taito Taito Dedicated Racing 2601
4 Tekken Tag Tournament Namco Namco Software Fighting 2568
5 Shakatto Tambourine (Samba de Amigo) Sega Sega Dedicated Rhythm 2523
6 Time Crisis 2 Namco Namco Dedicated Light gun shooter 2400
7 The King of Fighters 2000 SNK SNK Software Fighting 2382
8 Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000 Sega AM2 Sega Software Sports 2345
9 Street Snap EG Hitachi Hitachi Other Purikura 2291
10 Kidō Senshi Gundam: Renpō vs. Zeon (Federation vs. Zeon) Capcom Banpresto Software Third-person shooter 2280

Major events

Month Day(s) Event
January 29 Infogrames acquired Hasbro Interactive, including the Game.com division, the MicroProse and Atari labels, and a right to publish and develop games based on Hasbro properties. Paradigm Entertainment was also acquired.[33]
31 Sega announced it would be departing from the console market[34] and discontinuing the Dreamcast, and develop and publish games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.[35]

Events

Business

Lawsuits

  • Sega of America Inc. v. Kmart Corporation; Sega sues Kmart over an unpaid debt of over US$2 million
  • Uri Geller v. Nintendo; Geller sues Nintendo over his resemblance to a Pokémon character. The suit is dismissed.

Notable releases

Video game platforms
DC Dreamcast
GBA Game Boy Advance
GCN GameCube
N64 Nintendo 64
PS1 PlayStation
PS2 PlayStation 2
Win Windows
Xbox Xbox
GBC Game Boy Color
Notable releases of the year 2001
Release Title Windows 5th Gen 6th Gen Handheld
January 4 RuneScape Win — — —
January 10 Mega Man 64 — N64 — —
January 16 Mario Tennis — — — GBC
January 29 Oni Win — PS2 —
January 29 Phantasy Star Online — — DC —
January 30 Rayman 2: The Great Escape — — PS2 —
January 31 Mega Man X5 Win (2002) PS1 — —
February 5 Paper Mario — N64 — —
February 6 Action Man: Search for Base X — — — GBC
February 6 Metal Walker — — — GBC
February 7 Clive Barker's Undying Win — — —
February 16 Final Fantasy IX — PS1 (EU) — —
February 20 Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers — — — GBC
February 27 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages — — — GBC (JP)
March 1 Lego Island 2 The Brickster's Revenge Win'98 PS1 — GBC, GBA
March 5 Conker's Bad Fur Day — N64 — —
March 6 The Bouncer — — PS2 —
March 9 Sonic Shuffle — — DC —
March 12 Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo Win — — —
March 13 Onimusha: Warlords — — PS2 —
March 13 Unreal Tournament — — DC —
March 14 Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage — N64 — —
March 15 SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula — — — GBC
March 20 Summoner[37] Win
March 21 Daytona USA — — DC —
March 21 Tribes 2 Win — — —
March 21 Serious Sam: The First Encounter Win — — —
March 22 Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil — — PS2 —
March 23 Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising Win — — —
March 25 Black & White Win — — —
March 26 Pokémon Stadium 2 — N64 — —
March 26 The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror — — — GBC
March 26 Zone of the Enders — — PS2 —
March 27 Rocket Power: Gettin' Air — — — GBC
March 27 Strikers 1945 II — PS1 — —
March 30 Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine — — — GBC
March 30 Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo — N64 (EU) — —
April 6 Snoopy Tennis — — — GBC
April 8 Dr. Mario 64 — N64 — —
April 11 Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble — — — GBC
April 12 The Simpsons Wrestling — PS1 — —
April 16 Illbleed — — DC —
April 16 Batman: Chaos in Gotham — — — GBC
April 19 Spider-Man — — DC —
April 23 Silpheed: The Lost Planet — — PS2 —
April 30 The Adventures of Cookie & Cream — — PS2 —
April 30 Mars Matrix: Hyper Solid Shooting — — DC —
May 7 Mario Party 3 — N64 — —
May 8 Myst III: Exile Win — PS2 —
May 14 Crazy Taxi — — PS2 —
May 16 Giga Wing 2 — — DC —
May 16 Project Justice — — DC —
May 18 Atlantis The Lost Empire: Trial by Fire Win — — —
May 21 Cool Boarders — — PS2 —
May 22 Red Faction — — PS2 —
May 28 Crazy Taxi 2 — — DC —
May 29 Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown — — — GBC
May 30 Bejeweled Win — — —
May 30 Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six — — — GBC
May 30 Max Steel: Covert Missions — — DC —
June 11 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon — — — GBA
June 11 ChuChu Rocket! — — — GBA
June 11 Earthworm Jim — — — GBA
June 11 F-Zero: Maximum Velocity — — — GBA
June 11 Konami Krazy Racers — — — GBA
June 11 Rayman Advance — — — GBA
June 11 Super Mario Advance — — — GBA
June 14 Atlantis: The Lost Empire — PS1 — —
June 18 Twisted Metal: Black — — PS2 —
June 19 Sonic Adventure 2 — — DC —
June 19 Startopia[38] Win
June 20 Time Crisis: Project Titan — PS1 — —
June 21 Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Win — — —
June 22 Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis Win — — —
June 27 Anachronox Win — — —
June 27 Anarchy Online[39] Win
June 29 Bomberman Tournament — — — GBA
June 29 Final Fantasy Chronicles — PS1 — —
July 1 Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword — — — GBC
July 6 Runaway: A Road Adventure Win
July 8 Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse — — PS2 —
July 10 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec — — PS2 —
July 14 Mega Man Legends Win — — —
July 16 Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor — — — GBA
July 17 City Crisis — — PS2 —
July 19 Final Fantasy X — — PS2 (JP) —
July 23 Extermination — — PS2 —
July 23 Max Payne Win — — —
July 28 Rune: Viking Warlord — — PS2 —
July 29 Pokémon Crystal (North America) — — — GBC
July 30 Tweety and the Magic Gems — — — GBA
August 1 Golden Sun — — — GBA
August 1 Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower Win — — —
August 7 WWF Betrayal — — — GBA
August 8 Shogun: Total War: Mongol Invasion Win — — —
August 19 Madden NFL 2002 — PS1 PS2 —
August 20 Armored Core 2: Another Age — — PS2 —
August 21 Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Win — — —
August 27 Mario Kart: Super Circuit — — — GBA
August 27 Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 — — PS2 —
August 28 ESPN Final Round Golf 2002 — — — GBA
August 29 Alchemy Win — — —
August 30 Klonoa: Empire of Dreams — — — GBA
September 6 Shenmue II — — DC —
September 10 Advance Wars — — — GBA
September 10 Jurassic Park III: Park Builder — — — GBA
September 10 Portal Runner — — PS2 —
September 11 The World Is Not Enough — — — GBC
September 13 Heavy Metal: Geomatrix — — DC —
September 13 Ooga Booga — — DC —
September 15 Power Rangers Time Force — — — GBA
September 17 Arctic Thunder — — PS2 —
September 18 Red Faction[40] Win
September 21 SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge — PS1 — —
September 24 Monster Rancher 3 — — PS2 —
September 24 Phantasy Star Online Version 2 — — DC —
September 24 Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor Win
September 24 Silent Hill 2 — — PS2 —
September 24 SpyHunter — — PS2 —
September 24 SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Krabby Patty Win — — —
September 25 X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse — — — GBA
September 26 Bass Strike — — PS2 —
September 26 Dexter's Laboratory: Deesaster Strikes! — — — GBA
September 26 Final Fight One — — — GBA
September 26 Kessen II — — PS2 —
September 30 Ico — — PS2 —
October 1 NASCAR Thunder 2002 — PS1 PS2, Xbox —
October 1 Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase — — — GBA
October 1 Time Crisis II — — PS2 —
October 1 Yanya Caballista: City Skater — — PS2 —
October 2 Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge — — — GBA
October 3 Lego Bionicle — — — GBA
October 4 Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase — PS1 — —
October 5 The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase — — — GBA
October 8 Castlevania Chronicles — PS1 — —
October 10 Dark Age of Camelot Win — — —
October 12 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — — — GBA
October 15 Lady Sia — — — GBA
October 15 Batman: Vengeance Win — PS2, GCN, Xbox GBA
October 17 Devil May Cry — — PS2 —
October 18 E.T.: Digital Companion — — — GBC
October 21 Stronghold Win — — —
October 22 Grand Theft Auto III — — PS2 —
October 24 Virtua Tennis 2 — — DC —
October 28 Doom — — — GBA
October 28 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 — PS1 PS2, GCN —
October 29 Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex — — PS2, Xbox, GCN —
October 29 Spyro: Season of Ice — — — GBA
October 30 Aliens versus Predator 2 Win — — —
October 30 Boxing Fever — — — GBA
October 30 Civilization III Win — — —
October 30 Mega Man Xtreme 2 — — — GBC
October 30 Monsters, Inc. Scream Team Win PS1 PS2 —
October 30 Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival — — — GBA
October 31 Soul Reaver 2 — — PS2 —
October 31 Mega Man Battle Network — — — GBA
November 1 Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies — — PS2 —
November 1 Burnout — — PS2 —
November 1 Dragon Warrior VII — PS1 — —
November 1 FIFA Football 2002 — PS1 PS2 —
November 1 Nancy Drew: The Final Scene Win — — —
November 3 Rocket Power: Dream Scheme — — — GBA
November 5 SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge — PS1 — GBA
November 5 SSX Tricky — — PS2, GCN, Xbox —
November 7 Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand — — — GBA
November 9 Project Gotham Racing — — Xbox —
November 11 Golden Sun — — — GBA
November 12 Empire Earth Win — — —
November 12 Gradius Advance — — — GBA
November 12 Survivor — Win — —
November 13 007: Agent Under Fire — — PS2 —
November 13 Cubix - Robots for Everyone: Race 'N Robots — — — GBC
November 13 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty — — PS2 —
November 13 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Win — — —
November 14 Frank Herbert's Dune[41] Win PS2
November 14 Harvest Moon 3 GBC — — — GBC
November 14 Shrek — — Xbox —
November 15 Cel Damage — — Xbox, PS2, GCN —
November 15 Dead or Alive 3 — — Xbox —
November 15 Halo: Combat Evolved — — Xbox —
November 15 Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion — — — GBA
November 15 Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee — — Xbox —
November 15 Wizardry 8[42] Win
November 16 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Win PS1 — GBC, GBA
November 16 Headhunter — — DC —
November 17 NHL Hitz 2002 — — GCN —
November 17 Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader — — GCN —
November 18 Crazy Taxi — — GCN —
November 18 Super Monkey Ball — — GCN —
November 18 IL-2 Sturmovik Win — — —
November 18 Luigi's Mansion — — GCN —
November 18 WWF Road to Wrestlemania — — — GBA
November 19 Soul Reaver 2[43] Win
November 19 Wario Land 4 — — — GBA
November 19 WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It — — PS2 —
November 20 Frequency — — PS2 —
November 20 Return to Castle Wolfenstein Win — — —
November 20 Frogger: The Great Quest — PS2 — —
November 21 Ecks vs. Sever — — — GBA
November 21 Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles — — — GBA
November 21 Super Smash Bros. Melee — — GCN (NTSC-J) —
November 22 Mr. Driller G — PS1 (NTSC-J) — —
November 23 Gothic Win — — —
November 24 Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog — — — GBA
November 25 Azurik: Rise of Perathia — — Xbox —
November 26 Jurassic Park III: Island Attack — — — GBA
November 26 Star Wars: Starfighter — — Xbox —
November 26 Twisted Metal: Small Brawl — PS1 — —
November 27 Extreme-G 3 — — GCN —
November 27 Lego Racers 2 — — — GBA
November 28 Cruis'n Velocity — — — GBA
November 29 Rampage Puzzle Attack — — — GBA
November 30 Dokapon: Monster Hunter — — — GBA
December 1 Breath of Fire — — — GBA
December 1 M&M's Blast! — — — GBA
December 3 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance — — PS2 —
December 3 Pikmin — — GCN —
December 3 Super Smash Bros. Melee — — GCN (NTSC-U) —
December 3 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy — — PS2 —
December 4 Mega Man X6 — PS1 — —
December 5 American Bass Challenge — — — GBA
December 7 Cel Damage — — GCN —
December 7 Magical Vacation GBA
December 7 Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles — — PS2 (PAL & EU) —
December 9 The Flintstones: Big Trouble in Bedrock — — — GBA
December 12 Mortal Kombat Advance — — — GBA
December 12 Shadow Hearts — — PS2 —
December 17 Dark Rift (North America) — N64 — —
December 18 Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure — — GCN —
December 19 Star Wars: Obi-Wan[44] Xbox
December 19 Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land — — PS2 —
December 20 Final Fantasy X — — PS2 (US) —
December 20 Giants: Citizen Kabuto — — PS2 —
December 21 Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut — — Xbox —
December 21 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 — — — GBA

Video game consoles

The dominant video game console in 2001 was Sony's PlayStation 2.

Nintendo released the GameCube on September 14 in Japan (North America on November 18 and in Europe on May 3, 2002). Microsoft released the Xbox in North America on November 15 (in Europe on March 14, 2002).

Handheld game systems

The dominant handheld system in 2001 was Nintendo's Game Boy Color.

Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21 (in North America on June 11 and Europe on June 22).

Births

Deaths

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Crystal Version sold 749,863.[20] Gold and Silver versions sold 76,262.[23]

References

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  13. ^ IGN Staff (November 14, 2001). "Pokemon Mini Hits the US". IGN. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
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  41. ^ "Frank Herbert's Dune in November - IGN". May 20, 2024. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
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  44. ^ Boulding, Aaron (January 3, 2002). "Star Wars: Obi-Wan". IGN. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
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