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January often marks a quieter period in the gaming industry, and 2025 was no different. With only one new title entering the top 20 and the usual dominance of Call of Duty, there wasn’t much to celebrate last month—except for what could be a surprising resurgence from one of 2024’s most talked-about titles: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.
Originally released in February 2024 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth debuted at No.2 on Circana’s U.S. sales chart by dollar value. However, it dropped to No.7 the following month and ended the year at No.17. While those numbers are solid, they sparked speculation about whether the game met Square Enix’s expectations, especially when compared to other major RPGs like Dragon’s Dogma 2 or even its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII: Remake. Eventually, Square Enix acknowledged that the title underperformed relative to internal forecasts and notably avoided disclosing specific sales figures.
Being a PS5-exclusive at launch likely contributed to the slower start. Platform exclusives typically face steeper challenges in reaching broader audiences compared to cross-platform releases. That changed in January 2025, when Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth made its long-awaited debut on Steam—and the results were impressive.
The game climbed from No.56 in December to No.3 in January on Circana’s charts. The bundled Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also surged from No.265 to No.16 during the same period. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, Rebirth had an “excellent” Steam launch, ranking as the top-selling game in the U.S. market by dollar sales for the week ending January 25th. The Twin Pack followed closely behind at No.3.
While this data reflects U.S. performance, it strongly suggests similar global momentum. For Square Enix, these figures may prompt reconsideration of future release strategies. Could rising PC sales encourage the company to adopt a more inclusive platform approach for upcoming Final Fantasy entries? Piscatella weighed in on the matter:
“It’s difficult to assess how the Steam release has influenced publisher perception of overall title success—it’s all tied up in internal planning and expectations I can’t access. But from a consumer standpoint, it was a very strong launch month on Steam. This reinforces the idea that launching on PC makes increasing sense across genres and traditional release models. For third-party publishers, it’s becoming harder to justify exclusive console launches without substantial support from platform holders.”
With Square Enix expected to address this topic during its May earnings call, fans and investors alike will be watching closely.
Other Notable Chart Highlights
As expected, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 remained the best-selling title of the month, followed by Madden NFL 25. The only new entry in the top 20 was Donkey Kong Country Returns on Nintendo Switch, which reached No.8 based entirely on physical sales (Nintendo does not disclose digital store figures).
Another standout was the return of It Takes Two to the top 20 at No.20. Piscatella noted that this resurgence was fueled by steady demand throughout the month, along with promotional efforts on PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop—particularly during the final week of January. This uptick began in December and continued into early 2025, possibly in anticipation of Hazelight Studios’ next title, Split Fiction, scheduled for March.
Industry Spending Overview
Overall spending on games in January 2025 showed a decline compared to the previous year. Total spending fell 15% year-over-year to $4.5 billion. A key factor contributing to this drop is the difference in tracking periods—this year’s January covered four weeks, while 2024 included five full weeks of activity.
- Content spending decreased by 12%, with console content down sharply at 35%.
- Hardware spending dropped by 45% year-over-year.
- PS5: Down 38%
- Xbox Series: Down 50%
- Switch: Down 53%
Despite declines across the board, the PS5 remained the top-selling hardware by both revenue and unit count. Xbox Series ranked second in hardware spending, while the Switch barely held second place in units sold.
Top 20 Best-Selling Games in the U.S. – January 2025 (by Dollar Sales)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Madden NFL 25
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
- EA Sports FC 25
- Minecraft*
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Donkey Kong Country Returns*
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Sonic Generations
- Helldivers II
- Astro Bot
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- Super Mario Party Jamboree*
- Elden Ring
- Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack
- Mario Kart 8*
- The Crew: Motorfest
- UFC 5
- It Takes Two
* Indicates partial or complete absence of digital sales data. Publishers such as Nintendo and Take-Two do not provide digital sales information for inclusion in this report.
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