Wii - Software Library

Software Library

Retail copies of games are supplied on proprietary, DVD-type Wii optical discs which is packaged in a keep case with instructions. In Europe, the boxes have a triangle at the bottom corner of the paper sleeve-insert side. The triangle is color-coded to identify the region for which the title is intended and which manual languages are included. The console supports regional lockout (software purchased in a region can be only played on that region's hardware).

New games in Nintendo's flagship franchises (including The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Pokémon, and Metroid) have been released (or are under development), in addition to many original titles and third-party-developed games. Nintendo has received third-party support from companies such as Ubisoft, Sega, Square Enix, Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts and Capcom, with more games being developed for Wii than for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Nintendo also launched the New Play Control! line, a selection of enhanced GameCube games for the Wii featuring updated controls.

The Virtual Console service allows Wii owners to play games originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis and SG-1000 Mark III/Sega Master System, NEC's TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, SNK's Neo Geo console, Commodore 64 and arcade games. Virtual Console games are distributed over broadband Internet via the Wii Shop Channel, and are saved to the Wii internal flash memory or to a removable SD card. Once downloaded, Virtual Console games can be accessed from the Wii Menu (as individual channels) or from an SD card via the SD Card Menu. There is also a Wii homebrew community, dedicated to creating and playing content unendorsed by Nintendo.

The game development suite Unity can be used to create official Wii games; however, the developer must be authorized by Nintendo to develop games for the console. Games must also be accepted by Nintendo to be sold.

Over eight hundred million Wii games have been sold worldwide as of June 30, 2012, and 103 titles have surpassed the million-unit mark as of March 31, 2011. The most successful game (Wii Sports, which comes bundled with the console in most regions) has sold 79.60 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2012, surpassing Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling game of all time. The best-selling unbundled game is Mario Kart Wii, with 32.44 million units sold.