Do you ever wonder which game sells the best each year? Here’s a hint: usually, it’s not the award winners. EA Sports College Football 25 is the bestselling game of 2024, according to the research firm Circana. It’s closely followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Helldivers II, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.
This data comes courtesy of Mat Piscatella, executive director at Circana, who shared the findings on Bluesky. However, more interesting than just being the bestselling game of 2024, EA Sports College Football 25 is also the bestselling sports game in U.S. history, and it ranks within the top 50 bestselling games of all time by U.S. dollar sales.
Despite that impressive win, the video game industry has taken a hit this year. Spending across hardware, content, and accessories is down by 7% versus a year ago, and the year-to-date spending is flat. However, consumers still spent $5.8 billion this year. Even if spending is slightly down, it doesn’t mark a decline in the industry overall.
One reason sales declined in November is due to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The game primarily generates revenue through sales of the title, but also through in-game cosmetic purchases and the battle pass. It has been such a runaway hit that its popularity has drawn players from other franchises.
If we step back and take a look at 2024 overall, then the biggest launch is obviously Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket. This mobile title released in late October and skyrocketed to the No. 2 revenue-earning game worldwide in November, according to Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower. The only game that beat out TCG Pocket was Honor of Kings, a mobile-focused MOBA.
Don’t count out hardware, either. The Nintendo Switch has finally, officially exceeded lifetime sales of the PlayStation 2 in the U.S. market, and the PlayStation 5 Pro made up 19% of all PlayStation sales and 28% of all earnings.
If you’re interested in reading more, check out Piscatella’s Bluesky post. He includes dozens of interesting data points on everything from physical sales to hardware.
