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A killer game (or "killer app") is a video game that is popular to the extent that many buy a particular video game console or upgrade their computer hardware simply to play it. "Killer game" is a marketing term used to describe the commercial success of a game in causing sales of hardware, not a colloquial term to describe popularity. A killer game is one type of killer application. Like other types of "killer apps," it is frequently difficult to determine whether it is the popularity of a particular game title that causes sales of a system to rise – the rise of console or hardware sales may often be attributed to extraneous factors (see also the "correlation implies causation" logical fallacy).
Importance
To a video game console manufacturer, having such a game available for its platform is critical to a platform's market success. The failure of home video game systems such as the 3DO, as well as handhelds like the Atari Lynx and the Game.com can be attributed to the fact that no killer game emerged for those systems. Conversely, the early success of the Nintendo Game Boy is almost universally regarded as a result of the killer game Tetris [http://www.4colorrebellion.com/archives/2005/05/23/gameboy-retrospective/, which analysts say was a game with universal appeal that suited the Game Boy's strengths and limitations.
A killer game can also have great impact on competing hardware in the market. If a killer title is available for one console or set of hardware but not the other, consumers may be unlikely to purchase the second console in anticipation of the killer game on the first console, even if there are other reasons to purchase the second console.
See also
"Killer game"