The Best Sellers
As it does each month, Circana has released its latest monthly sales report, shining a light on how the US video game industry is performing from a business perspective. Total sales for December grew 4% to $7.9 billion, with annual spending increasing 1% to $57.2 billion.
But what games sold the best in December? The best-selling game should surprise no one–it was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. But that game did not sell the best for the full year, as Hogwarts Legacy stole the crown and ended a decade-plus run of either the latest Call of Duty or the newest Rockstar Games title winning out for the year.
Titles marked with an asterisk (*) do not include digital sales. Additionally, Circana does not disclose specific unit-sales numbers, only the ranking. What’s more, total sales are just one element of a game’s potential reach, as some games, like Starfield, are also available via a subscription membership.
With all that out of the way, here are the top 20 best-selling games in the US for December 2023. For more, check out the top 20 best-selling games of 2023.
20: UFC 5
19. Assassin’s Creed Mirage
18. Just Dance 2024 Edition
17. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*
*Digital sales not included
16. Elden Ring
15. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
14. God of War: Ragnarok
13. Minecraft
12. Sonic Superstars
11. Super Mario RPG*
*Digital sales not included
10. Mario Kart 8*
* Digital sales not included
9. NBA 2K24*
* Digital sales not included
8. Mortal Kombat 1
7. EA Sports FC
6. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
5. Spider-Man 2
4. Hogwarts Legacy
3. Madden NFL 24
2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder*
* Digital sales not included