This Best-Selling Game Outsold Modern Warfare 3 In US — Can You Guess Which One?

by Franca Quarneti, Benzinga Staff Writer
January 18, 2024 4:09 PM | 2 min read | Make a Comment
Zinger Key Points
  • "Hogwarts Legacy tops 2023 U.S. game sales, ending Call of Duty's reign. Globally, it sold 22M; Spider-Man 2 hit 5M in 11 days.
  • U.S. gaming spending hit $57.2B in 2023, up 1%, with December contributing $7.9B.

In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc's WBD Hogwarts Legacy claimed the title of best-selling video game in the U.S., breaking the long-standing dominance of Call of Duty and Rockstar titles.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reported that Hogwarts Legacy led in dollar sales on PlayStation, secured the second spot on Xbox, and ranked fifth on Nintendo platforms, IGN reported.

"It is the first year since 2008 that a non-Call of Duty or Rockstar-developed title ranked 1st (Rock Band)," Piscatella wrote on X.

See Also: 'Hogwarts Legacy' Touts 22M Copies Sold In 2023: Warner Bros. Discovery Teases Future Projects

Notably, Hogwarts Legacy surpassed Activision’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, with Electronic Arts Inc's EA Madden NFL 24, Sony Group Corp.'s SONY Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Nintendo ADR’s NTDOY The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rounding out the top five.

Circana's report excluded download sales from certain publishers, impacting rankings. Hogwarts Legacy globally sold an impressive 22 million copies in 2023, while Spider-Man 2 achieved over five million copies in just 11 days.

Tears of the Kingdom, having sold 19.5 million copies by September, likely exceeded this by the year-end. Bethesda's Starfield, despite launching on Game Pass, missed the top 10, and Baldur's Gate 3, a notable success, lacked sales data disclosure.

The top 10 best-selling games of 2023 in the U.S. include:

  1. Hogwarts Legacy
  2. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
  3. Madden NFL 24
  4. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
  6. Diablo 4
  7. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
  8. Mortal Kombat 1
  9. Star Wars Jedi Survivor
  10. EA Sports FC 24

U.S. spending on video games, hardware, and accessories reached $57.2 billion in 2023, marking a 1% increase from the previous year, with December contributing $7.9 billion to this total.

Read Next: Microsoft's Satya Nadella: Activision Gives Us A Chance Of Being 'A Good Publisher' On Sony, Nintendo

Image credits: Miguel Lagoa on Shutterstock.

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Posted In: GamingNewsTop StoriesGeneralCall of DutyCircanagaming industryHogwarts LegacyRockstar GamesVideo Game Sales
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