January 2025 was a relatively quiet month for the gaming industry, with only one new title breaking into the top 20 rankings. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 retained its crown as the best-selling game for the month, followed closely by Madden NFL 25. The lone new entry in the top 20 was Donkey Kong Country: Returns, which managed to reach No. 8 solely on the strength of its physical sales figures. Nintendo does not disclose digital sales data for its eShop.
Another interesting development was the reappearance of It Takes Two in the top 20, landing at No. 20. According to Mat Piscatella, Circana's analyst, this resurgence wasn't due to any single factor but rather sustained interest throughout January, bolstered by promotions on both PlayStation and Nintendo eShops. The game's performance in December laid the groundwork for this upward trajectory, with increased sales and engagement spilling over into the new year.
One notable highlight was the significant jump in sales for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth following its debut on Steam in January. Initially exclusive to PS5, the game climbed from No. 56 in December to No. 3 in January, while the Final Fantasy 7: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack soared from No. 265 to No. 16. Circana's data indicated that Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth was the top-selling game in the U.S. for the week ending January 25th, underscoring the strong consumer response to its PC launch.
Piscatella noted that this success could influence Square Enix's strategy moving forward, potentially leading to cross-platform releases for future Final Fantasy titles. However, the full impact remains to be seen, pending Square Enix's announcement at their upcoming earnings call in May.
In terms of broader trends, January 2025 saw a decline in overall spending compared to the previous year. Tracking for January was reduced to four weeks this year, compared to five weeks in 2024, resulting in a 15% decrease in total spending to $4.5 billion. Accessories spending fell by 28%, while content spending dropped by 12%, with console content declining by 35%. Hardware spending experienced the steepest fall, down 45% year-over-year. The PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both dollars and units, followed by the Xbox Series in spending, and the Switch narrowly edged out the Xbox Series in unit sales.
The top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for January 2025, based on dollar sales, included 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, and UFC 5. Some digital sales figures are excluded for certain titles, such as those from Nintendo and Take-Two.
