The "Big 3" of Gaming, Ranked

Image via PlayStation Published Sep 4, 2026, 12:06 PM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account The nature of business is competition, allowing for multiple companies to deliver their own goods and create a dynamic environment. This is true for anything, including video games, with plenty of studios aiming to deliver the best quality to ensure even better sales. For the most part, this approach has been going well, with titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Elden Ring becoming standout masterpieces of the modern age that push the medium forward. But even though there are thousands of game studios, there are also the big three, the juggernauts: Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. These major companies are best known for releasing video game consoles each generation, and with them, dozens of video games each year. The console wars used to be the biggest news in gaming, with these three companies, and a couple others, battling it out for supremacy. However, the console wars have long since ended, with each finding their niche in the following years. Everyone has their preferences and console of choice, which leads to buying hardware from any of these companies. They all have their flaws: PlayStation is ending physical releases, Nintendo is greedy and takes down fan games, and Xbox has constant layoffs. However, each has unique strengths, and that is why this list will rank the big three video game companies based on console history, video game history, quality, consistency, public opinion, lack of flaws, and overall quality. Fans should buy the consoles and games of their choice, but this list will be as objective as possible when determining the greatest video game company of all time. 3 Xbox Image via Xbox It may have placed last on this list, but the other way fans can take it is that the company placed third, and a podium finish is always good. Xbox was one of the later companies to join the console race, but they quickly established themselves as an innovative and fresh competitor. Starting with the original Xbox, they would continue their hot streak with the iconic Xbox 360. Later consoles, like the Xbox One and Xbox Series X, wouldn’t be as popular, but they still maintained a dedicated fan base. As far as games go, Xbox is best known for the Halo franchise, alongside Gears of War, Fable, and Forza. Their future is more uncertain than most, but they are still releasing games and have a planned console, with many hoping they will turn it around. It shouldn’t really be a surprise that Xbox came last on this list, considering it had a shorter history than the other two, and it's already failing more than them. Xbox is already changing its plan going forward, from getting rid of console exclusives to selling well-known IPs to laying off a lot of its talent. The Xbox One was fun, but not a smash hit, and the Xbox Series X is performing even worse. They haven’t been terrible in the games department, but their biggest new titles, like Fable, will be cross-platform, and their biggest franchise, Halo, hasn’t had a new game in years. Xbox is more of a legacy company; they used to be the best in the game with classic Halo games, Rare, Call of Duty, and Gears of War. With a lot of timed and fully exclusive games, they had a vast catalog that put many to shame back in the day. Unfortunately, Xbox has seen better days, and as they continue to fall, it is easy to place it at this spot on the list. 2 PlayStation Deciding between the top two was extremely difficult, but ultimately, PlayStation ended up in the second spot. First released in 1994, PlayStation was an instant success, surpassing every expectation. This success would continue to the second, third, fourth, fifth, and portable versions, continuing to improve on the hardware and games. Their consoles have always been massively successful, and their games are just as profitable. They have had plenty of prestigious franchises, including God of War and The Last of Us, yet they also spice things up with a different vibe while maintaining the same quality, as was the case with Astro Bot, a beloved Game of the Year winner. PlayStation has come under heavy criticism recently, ever since they announced that they will stop making physical games, meaning the digital age is finally upon fans. With a fully digital console and only downloadable games, PlayStation is taking a big risk to save costs, which will be fully implemented in its next generation. Whether it's a good or bad decision is uncertain, but as far as it goes now, fans are livid, and rightfully so. Not only does it mean they can keep games more expensive, but players can no longer sell their used copies. Putting this tender topic aside, PlayStation has many positives, starting with their consoles, which always seem to be a must-buy for casual gamers. It is the essential piece of hardware for new games, proven by the fact that these titles are made exclusively for PlayStation; GTA VI being the most recent example. Recently, their first-party game situation has been dire, with only a couple of new games every year. However, the PS5 does have some incredible games. Historically, however, it is a different story. From Metal Gear Solid to Shadow of the Colossus and God of War, this company is home to some of the most essential video games. Recent news may have soured many opinions, but PlayStation is still PlayStation, and they have the sales and prestigious games to back up their name. 1 Nintendo Image via Nintendo Every company that makes up the big three is both fantastic and awful in ways, but this list has determined that Nintendo is arguably the greatest. It's probably a controversial opinion, but they have the longest history and the success to back it up. As opposed to Xbox and PlayStation, Nintendo didn’t start with video games, but was rather a hanafuda playing card producer that began all the way in 1889. Evolving to toys, then arcades, and finally video games, their legacy is steeped in a deep history. Their first console was the NES, home to legendary franchises such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. From overwhelming successes like the Wii and Switch to surprising failures like the Wii U and the GameCube, Nintendo has never been afraid to innovate and take risks. They have continued to do so even now, with the Nintendo Switch 2 having a polarizing, yet overall successful start. With the longest history, Nintendo has had the most successes and failures in terms of sales and reception. Still, the games on every console, even the underperforming ones, are critically acclaimed. Their infamous lawyers, who sue anyone and everyone, including fan games and tournaments, are a blight on the company and a poor way to protect their intellectual property. Nintendo has also raised the prices of consoles and games higher than expected, which reminds fans of the perils of capitalism. Still, out of the three, Nintendo is the most user-friendly, boasting plenty of special deals and features for their games. The Wii and Switch in particular aren’t just some of the best-selling video game consoles, but they are the most innovative and important, blending intuitive motion controls and hybrid gaming, respectively. Beloved by most, these consoles are essential, but more than that, they are home to renowned video games. Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are both widely considered among the all-time greatest video games ever made, and this just scratches the surface of historically influential titles. They are also known for their handheld consoles, which open more avenues with more games and franchises. However, what separates Nintendo from the rest isn’t just their creativity, accessibility, family focus, or amazing games, but the sheer quantity and quality of their titles. Each year provides around ten new first-party games, and every one caters to different tastes, meaning there is always something for everyone. Nintendo is a nostalgic company, and from the 1980s to the 2020s, they have always been part of everyone's lives.