What you need to know
- The latest report from Circana shares details on the best-selling games and gaming hardware of January 2024 in the U.S.
- Per Circana, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the best-selling game of January 2024.
- This chart does not include data from Palworld, which launched into early access in January 2024.
- Xbox console sales were up year-over-year, but were unable to offset drops for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
The latest sales data for video games in the U.S. is here.
2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the best-selling game of January 2024 in the U.S, as shared by Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella on Friday. That marks the third month in a row for the game being at the top, as it also topped the November 2023 and December 2023 charts. New launches Tekken 8 and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are right behind in the #2 and #3 spots, while Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown came in at #13.
For gaming hardware, PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of the month, with Nintendo Switch second place in units sold and Xbox Series X|S second place in revenue. Despite this, Xbox Series X|S consoles were up year-over-year, while PlayStation and Nintendo hardware was down year-over-year. Overall, the U.S. gaming industry saw $5.1 billion overall in January 2023, 15% growth over January 2023.
Below, you can see the full details on the best-selling and most-played games of the month. Please remember that some companies, such as Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive and Epic Games, do not share digital sales data, which is one reason why games like Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and Palworld are absent from most of the charts.
January 2024 Circana: Here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2. Tekken 8
3. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
4. Persona 3 Reload
5. Madden NFL 24
6. Hogwarts Legacy
7. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
8. EA Sports FC 24
9. The Last of Us Part 2
10. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
11. Super Mario Bros. Wonder*
12. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
13. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
14. Elden Ring
15. Mortal Kombat 1
16. Gran Turismo 7
17. Minecraft
18. Mario Kart 8*
19. Jujutsu Kaijen: Cursed Clash
20. God of War Ragnarok
* No digital data shared
Analysis: Going steady
Things for this month are about where they were expected, no real surprises. The only caveat is that it's a big shame we don't have data from Palworld, as I'd be really curious how that placement would affect things.
Overall though, the industry needs more big games to drop soon. Xbox first-party has a large number of releases lined up for 2024 like Avowed or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as four ports of Xbox games to other platforms, but right now Nintendo, PlayStation, and most third-party publishers are looking thin for most of the year.
On the topic of Call of Duty, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently affirmed that the franchise would be coming to Xbox Game Pass, though there isn't an exact date for players to look forward to right now.
