December was a superb month for bodily gross sales, with over 3.5 million video games bought in comparison with 2.85 digital downloads, nevertheless, general gross sales had been nonetheless down 8% from 2021. In whole, 6.4 million video games had been offered within the U.Ok., bringing an finish to what was an honest yr for gross sales, with hopes that 2023 will construct off the end-of-year momentum.
No video games launched in December cracked the highest ten for the month, which isn’t stunning given the Triple-A releases from November and October. FIFA 23 managed to take the highest spot, although it was intently adopted by Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 2. PlayStation unique God of Conflict: Ragnarok is quantity 3, and it seemingly cannibalized Trendy Warfare 2’s gross sales on PlayStation 4 and 5. The newest Name of Obligation offered 54% of its whole on PlayStation consoles, in comparison with 46% on Xbox, regardless of the bigger set up base on PlayStation.
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet would have ended the month within the third spot if gross sales had been mixed, however as they’re separate, the development of Violet, in fifth, outselling Scarlet, in ninth, continues and the hole between the 2 video games solely grew over December. Two different Nintendo Swap exclusives earned spots within the prime ten, reflecting the console’s robust end-of-year efficiency, Mario Kart 8 and Swap Sports activities had been in seventh and eighth respectively. Sonic Frontiers made it in at quantity 10, with gross sales principally approaching the Swap.
New titles dissatisfied, with one of the best efficiency coming from EA’s Want for Velocity Unbound at quantity 14, The Calisto Protocol at sixteenth, and Disaster Core: Closing Fantasy VII Reunion on the backside of the chart, in twentieth, slightly below Gotham Knights.
Console gross sales had been up 24% from November, which is sweet information, even when year-to-year gross sales had been down 17%. Nintendo Swap completed the month because the top-selling console, ending robust throughout a yr through which it was persistently rating third behind the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X. Whole Swap gross sales had been down in comparison with final yr, and whereas PlayStation 5 gained from final December, it nonetheless completed in second.
Controllers, led by the PlayStation 5 DualShock, led the best way for equipment as soon as once more, with over 1.85 million offered in the course of the month. That’s a 44% enhance from November, however once more, as with video games and consoles, down from December 2021 by 11%.
1. FIFA 23
2. Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 2
3. God of Conflict Ragnarok
4. Grand Theft Auto 5
5. Pokémon Violet*
6. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
7. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
8. Nintendo Swap Sports activities*
9. Pokémon Violet*
10. Sonic Frontiers
11. Purple Lifeless Redemption 2
12. Elden Ring
13. Simply Dance 2023
14. Want for Velocity Unbound
15. NBA 2K23
16. The Callisto Protocol*
17. Minecraft: Swap Version*
18. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
19. Gotham Knights
20. Disaster Core: Closing Fantasy VII Reunion