According to a new report from Circana, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 claimed the title of best-selling game of early 2025. While this may not come as a shock to many in the gaming community, some other entries in the top 20 list are more unexpected.
The beginning of 2025 saw the release of several major titles, including Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Helldivers 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Dragon’s Dogma 2. Some of these games took the industry by surprise, such as the indie poker-themed roguelike deck-builder Balatro, which was nominated alongside AAA titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Metaphor: ReFantazio for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. While gaming trends continue to evolve, certain franchises maintain their dominance, with long-running series continuing to sell remarkably well.
Based on data from Circana and analysis by Mat Piscatella shared with IGN, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 led sales, followed by EA Sports College Football 25 and Helldivers 2. Five of the top 10 games were sports titles, including NBA 2K25, Madden NFL 25, EA Sports FC 25, and the EA Sports MVP Bundle, all performing exceptionally well. Elden Ring remained in the top 10, likely due to the success of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion released in mid-2024. Fighting games like Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero and Tekken 8 also secured spots on the list, alongside major RPGs like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Hogwarts Legacy, and Dragon’s Dogma 2. Notably, no Nintendo titles were present, possibly due to the company not sharing digital sales data with Circana.
Top 20 Best-Selling Games in the U.S. for Early 2025
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- NBA 2K25
- Madden NFL 25
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
- EA Sports FC 25
- Elden Ring
- EA Sports MVP Bundle
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- WWE 2K24
- MLB: The Show 24
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Minecraft
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
- Tekken 8
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- NBA 2K24
While overall spending on gaming content rose by 2% to $50.6 billion in the U.S. during early 2025, hardware spending experienced a significant 25% decline compared to the previous year, totaling $4.9 billion. The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of early 2025, with the Nintendo Switch leading in unit sales and the Xbox Series X/S leading in dollar revenue. However, consumer spending on video games in general dropped slightly, decreasing by 1.1% to $58.7 billion.
Looking ahead, 2025 is set to bring several major game releases, including Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Avowed, all slated for the first few months of the year. Additionally, while Grand Theft Auto 6 has yet to receive an official release date, it remains on track for a 2025 launch, with recent speculation suggesting the highly anticipated title could cost as much as $100 at release.
