January 2025's video game sales saw a relatively quiet month, mirroring typical January trends. Call of Duty dominated, with only one new release cracking the top 20. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.
Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted at No. 2 on Circana's US dollar sales charts but gradually declined to No. 17 by year's end. Square Enix acknowledged that sales fell short of expectations, fueling speculation about its performance. The game's initial PS5 exclusivity was a likely contributing factor to lower sales compared to cross-platform competitors like Dragon's Dogma 2.
The January 2025 release of Rebirth on Steam dramatically altered its trajectory. It soared to No. 3 on the Circana charts, a significant jump from December's No. 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a substantial increase, moving from No. 265 to No. 16. Analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted Rebirth's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the US.
This success, likely mirrored internationally, could significantly influence Square Enix's future cross-platform release strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact, stating that while the effect on publisher perception is hard to quantify, the consumer response was exceptionally positive. He further emphasized the growing difficulty for third-party publishers to maintain single-platform exclusivity without substantial platform-holder incentives.
The rest of the January charts showed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 maintaining their top positions. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) was the only new entry in the top 20, reaching No. 8 based solely on physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of digital sales data. It Takes Two's re-entry at No. 20 was attributed to ongoing promotions and consistent sales throughout the month, possibly linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction.
Overall, January 2025's game spending was down 15% year-over-year to $4.5 billion, partly due to a shorter tracking period compared to 2024. Accessories, content, and hardware sales also experienced significant declines. Despite this, PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both dollars and units.
Top 20 Best-Selling Games (US, January 2025):
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Madden NFL 25
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
- EA Sports FC 25
- Minecraft*
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Donkey Kong Country Returns*
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Sonic Generations
- Helldivers II
- Astro Bot
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- Super Mario Party Jamboree*
- Elden Ring
- Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack
- Mario Kart 8*
- The Crew: Motorfest
- UFC 5
- It Takes Two*
*Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data. Some publishers do not share certain digital data.
