The Top 5 Highest-Selling Megadeth Albums Until 2023

Which Megadeth album sold the most until 2023? What is Megadeth’s most sold album of all time? We will answer your questions about Megadeth’s album sales in this article.

After Dave Mustaine got fired from Metallica due to his personal problems with the band members in April 1983, he needed to do something to move on in the world of rock and metal. At the time, he was very open to creating music to make history. There were things he was already working on, but they were used by Metallica on the first album. His anger was still fresh, and he wanted to take his revenge by forming a faster and more rhythmic band.

• read: Dave Mustaine Reveals His ‘All-Time Favorite Guitar Solos’ On Megadeth Records

Months later he was fired from the band in 1983, Dave Mustaine made his goal real and formed his own band Megadeth. Aiming to make concrete his experiences and what he learned from his inspirations under his own group, Mustaine initially tried with many people to fit the main lineup. David Ellefson was the bass player who joined him and didn’t leave his side for a long time. After years of hard work and several demo recordings, Megadeth released their first album in 1985 named “Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!”.

Since it was formed, Megadeth has released 16 studio albums to its fans. In addition to its studio works, Megadeth brought 6 live albums, 2 extended plays, 44 music videos, 7 compilation albums, and 6 video albums to the thrash metal genre. Having been nominated for many awards until 2023, Megadeth has own its only Grammy Awards in 2017 for Dystopia in the Best Metal Performance category.

So, how many albums has Megadeth sold as of 2023? Let’s learn the highest-selling Megadeth album until March 2023.

The Top 5 Highest-Selling Megadeth Albums As Of October 2023

At press time, Megadeth sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Considered one of the biggest-selling bands of all time among thrash metal bands, Megadeth‘s most recent release, “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!“, entered Billboard 200 chart from number 3, which made the band earn one more Top Ten album title.

• read: Who Is The Richest Megadeth Member?

5. Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?

Number Of Sales: 1.8 Million

“Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?” was one of the early albums of Megadeth. Released in 1986, one year later from the band’s debut release, the album was the one that introduced them to the rock community about the band building their own audience.

Consisting of 8 tracks in its original release, the album generally contained fast tones and riffs that the guitar players took out the rage that was in them. Megadeth brought one of the most beloved tracks of the band, “Peace Sells,” to the fans on this album. Opening with “Wake Up Dead,” the album’s closing song was “My Last Words.” It had over 36 minutes of listening time in total.

You can find the track listing below:

• Wake Up Dead
• The Conjuring
• Peace Sells
• Devils Island
• Good Mourning/Black Friday
• Bad Omen
• I Ain’t Superstitious
• My Last Words

As of 2023, the number of sales of the album is 1.8 million, which made it fifth on the list.

4. So Far, So Good… So What!

Number Of Sales: 1.9 Million

We all know that Megadeth loves being different from others. Stretching the titles, using punctuation marks, asking fans questions through their titles… all those criteria made them unique in the community. Just like the second one, Megadeth used a different title in its third album, naming it “So Far, So Good… So What!”

Released in 1988, the album was the first and last to feature the band’s former members Chuck Behler on drums and Jeff Young on guitar. The fast tone in which Megadeth made a sudden and jarring entry into rock music was also processed on this album. In addition, Dave Mustaine’s touching on important issues lyrically was one of the main reasons for the album to be listened to and sold at the time.

Having received mixed reviews from the critics, the album was Megadeth’s fastest-selling album during the band’s early periods, selling more than 400,000 copies all around the world. In 1988, the album entered Billboard 200 chart at number 28.

However, with 1.9 million sales, “So Far, So Good… So What!” ranked number fourth in the list of the highest-selling Megadeth albums.

3. Megadeth – Rust In Peace

Number Of Sales: 2.1 Million

Releasing 4 studio albums in the first 5 years of its forming, Megadeth achieved worldwide success from these albums. “Rust In Peace” was the band’s fourth studio album, coming in at number three, with 2.1 million sales, after their early albums, which were the fifth and fourth on the list.

As the band fired its then-drummer and then-guitarist, the album was the first album to feature Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman on guitars. The album also featured the band’s hit songs, “Hangar 18” and “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”, which were released as singles before the release of the album. Consisting of 9 tracks, the listening time of the album is over 41 minutes.

2. Youthanasia

Number Of Sales: 2.7 Million

The 1994-released “Youthanasia” was the second highest-selling album of Megadeth as of October 2023, with 2.7 million sales.

The album often received positive reviews from critics. The album entered Billboard 200 chart from number four while also getting ranked number six on the UK Albums chart in the mid-1990s. According to some fans, selling 143,000 units during its first week was proof of why the band dominated the charts.

“Youthanasia” consisted of 12 songs in total, which was the band’s longest album so far. While “Reckoning Day” marked the opening song of the album, the album closer was “Victory”. The album, as well as the band members, was the outward manifestation of the chaos inside Dave.

Back in 2021, Dave Mustaine answered a question about the album that said it was the most personal album of himself, saying: “There’s a lot of personal songs that I have. But as far as most personal? Each song, they have their degree on how deep I go with what I reveal with myself. Some songs aren’t about me, and some of the songs that have been really deep personally, if they’re not about me, it’s about someone else, then it’s not really that personal to me, but it’s probably a more endearing song, if you know what I mean.”

1. Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction

Number Of Sales: 3.2 Million

Yes, it’s time to find out about Megadeth’s best-selling album. According to information we collected from sources, Megadeth’s best-selling album is the band’s fifth album, Countdown to Extinction, with over 3.2 million sales.

As we mentioned above, the album is one of the masterpieces of the band’s early years. The band’s beloved tracks from that time, including “Symphony of Destruction”, “Skin o’ My Teeth”, and “Sweating Bullets”, featured on that album. It was also the album that let Megadeth enter Billboard 200 chart for the first time.

How Countdown To Extinction became the highest-selling Megadeth album of all time? It sold 128,000 copies during its first week and was certified three-time platinum by Music Canada for shipping 300,000 copies. The album also earned two-time platinum by RIAA in the US.

Here’s “Countdown To Extinction” track listing:

• Skin o’ My Teeth
• Symphony of Destruction
• Architecture of Aggression
• Foreclosure of a Dream
• Sweating Bullets
• This Was My Life
• Countdown to Extinction
• High Speed Dirt
• Psychotron
• Captive Honour
• Ashes in Your Mouth