With a 60% increase in pre-owned games searches* on Google over the past month, gamers are turning their habit of buying new games to hunting second-hand games instead. This is a result of tighter budgets for gaming amid the rising cost of living, according to a report from NPD Group.
In response to International Games Month, we were intrigued to find out which game is the most popular among players in the global second-hand market. To do this, we scraped recent sales of over 60 most popular games and 15 gaming consoles on a notable global resale e-commerce website, revealing the best-selling second-hand game worldwide!
Key findings:
- Minecraft is the most sought-after second-hand game, with 5,700 used items sold online recently, the highest among all games reviewed!
- The newly released shooting game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is ranked second with 5,500 used games sold online. GTA V placed third with 4,500 sales.
Top 10 most sought-after second-hand games
| Ranking | Game | Number of items sold (used only)* |
| 1 | Minecraft | 5,700 |
| 2 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II | 5,500 |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto V | 4,500 |
| 4 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | 3,300 |
| 5 | Red Dead Redemption II | 2,600 |
| 6 | FIFA 22 | 2,500 |
| 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild | 2,400 |
| 8 | Luigi’s Mansion 3 | 2,000 |
| 9 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | 1,900 |
| 10 | God of War | 1,800 |
*Used/pre-owned/second hand sales only in the last 90 days
Minecraft is the most popular game in the second hand market with 5,700 used items sold in the last three months, the highest among all games reviewed! Known as the best-selling game of all time across multiple platforms, it is not surprising that Minecraft ranked first in the second hand market too. Pre-owned Minecraft PS4 editions are sold for $13 on average, a 50% lower price than a new official copy.
Following closely behind is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II with 5,500 used games recently sold in the second hand market. Only released a month ago, this first-person shooting game, sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Modern Warfare, has already become one of the most streamed games this month. The average listings for this second hand game were priced at $55, only 10% cheaper than buying a brand new one.
Grand Theft Auto V, widely known as GTA 5, ranks third with 4,500 used games sold recently online. Rockstar’s enduring game, firstly released in 2013, has grabbed the headlines again after releasing on PS5 and XBOX series earlier this year. The recent sold price for the used GTA V PS5 version was $22 on average, saving gamers over 27% more than buying a brand new one!
