Summary
Since 2009, the best-selling game of every year has either been aCall of Dutygame or a title published by Rockstar Games, but that could potentially change thanks toHogwarts Legacy. Open worldHarry Potteraction-RPGHogwarts Legacyreleased early in 2023 to mostly positive reviews and record-breaking sales.Hogwarts Legacysales have remained strong throughout the year, especially as the game has made its way to new platforms.
Initially,Hogwarts Legacywas only available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Some months later,Hogwarts Legacymade its way to PS4 and Xbox One with the massive open world experience mostly intact, minus some minor sacrifices that had to be made to make the game run well on older hardware. And most recently,Hogwarts Legacyreleased on the Nintendo Switch, having just landed on Nintendo’s home console/handheld hybrid about a month ago.
According to the latest Circana report,Hogwarts Legacyis currently the best-selling game of 2023. However,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is hot on its heels, skyrocketing up the best-selling list all the way to the number 2 position in its first month on sale. IfHogwarts Legacymanages to hold its lead, it will break the 14-year streak of eitherCall of Dutyor Rockstar being the best-selling game each year. This would mark the first time since 2008 that a non-Call of Dutyor Rockstar title took the top position. But considering how explosiveModern Warfare 3’s debut month was, it could very well overtakeHogwarts Legacywhen it’s all said and done.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Madden NFL 24
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
9. Mortal Kombat 1
10. Starfield
Call of Duty’s incredible popularity really can’t be overstated. Those looking over the list of best-selling games of 2023 will notice that one of the titles is actually a holdout from 2022, that being last year’sCall of Dutygame,Modern Warfare 2. There’s a reason whyCall of Dutyhas easily dominated the sales charts most years, though it’s entirely possible thatModern Warfare 3’s negative reviews will result in fewer sales compared to its predecessor. In fact, there is already some evidence to suggest that physicalCall of Dutysales are down this yearcompared to last year in some regions.
2009 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2011 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2012 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
2015 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
2017 - Call of Duty: WW2
2021 - Call of Duty: Vanguard
2022 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
Call of Duty’s incredible winning streak started in 2009, with 2008’sWii Playbeing the last time a non-Call of Dutyor Rockstar game was the best-selling game of the year.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2was hugely successful, withCall of Dutystanding its ground as the best-selling gameuntil it was finally dethroned byGrand Theft Auto 5in 2013.Call of Dutyfound itself back on top for the next four years, but was dethroned when Rockstar Games released its next title,Red Dead Redemption 2, in 2018.
Call of Dutyhas once again found itself as the top-selling game every year sinceRed Dead Redemption 2’s launch. 2019 went to theModern Warfarereboot, whileBlack Ops Cold Warwas named the best-selling game of 2020.Call of Duty: Vanguardwas the top game of 2021, and finally, 2022 went to the 2022 version ofModern Warfare 2.
Looking at the sales charts, there’s really no questionwhyCall of Dutyis an annual release. While there are many who feel thatCall of Duty’s quality has diminished partly because of its annual release schedule, there’s no denying that there is an absolutely massive audience for the franchise that will buy it year after year. It would make zero financial sense for Activision to slow things down, asCall of Dutyis almost guaranteed to be the best-selling game each and every year it’s released.
Considering this,Hogwarts Legacyhas its work cut out for it.Hogwarts Legacybeing available on more platforms thanModern Warfare 3might help it keep its top spot, but consideringhow successfulMW3has already been, it may easily overtake theHarry Pottergame by the time December is over. Both games will likely be big hits this holiday season, and so it will be interesting to see which one comes out on top.
Looking ahead,Call of Duty 2024will almost certainly be next year’s best-selling game, as Treyarch has a lot of goodwill withCoDfans and the studio hasn’t put out a new release since 2020’sBlack Ops Cold War. Rockstar will find itself back in the equationwhenGrand Theft Auto 6launches in 2025, and unless the game is delayed to the next year, there’s really no debate thatGTA 6will be taking the top spot in a couple of years. So whileHogwarts Legacycan potentially break the streak for now, it seems that the cycle ofCall of Dutyand Rockstar dominating the best-selling games charts will inevitably return.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
