Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Debuts at No. 3 in U.S.

January 2025's video game sales reveal a surprisingly strong performance from Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, potentially signaling a shift in Square Enix's future release strategies. While the initial PS5 exclusive launch saw moderate success, its subsequent release on Steam in January catapulted it to the No. 3 spot on Circana's U.S. sales charts, a significant jump from its December ranking. This success, coupled with the rise of the Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack, suggests the importance of cross-platform releases.

Analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted Rebirth's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the U.S. This success likely mirrors international sales, potentially influencing Square Enix's future decisions regarding platform exclusivity. Piscatella emphasizes the increasing difficulty for third-party publishers to maintain single-platform exclusivity without significant platform-holder incentives. Square Enix's official response is anticipated at their May earnings call.

Despite Rebirth's success, overall January 2025 game spending was down 15% year-over-year to $4.5 billion, partly attributed to a shorter tracking period compared to 2024. Accessories, content, and hardware sales also experienced significant declines. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 retained their top positions, while Donkey Kong Country: Returns debuted at No. 8, driven solely by physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of digital sales data. It Takes Two's re-entry into the top 20 is attributed to ongoing promotions and consistent sales throughout the month.

The top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for January 2025, based on dollar sales, are listed below. Note that some digital sales data is unavailable for certain publishers.

Top 20 Best-Selling Games (U.S. - January 2025):

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Madden NFL 25
3. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
4. EA Sports FC 25
5. Minecraft*
6. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
7. EA Sports College Football 25
8. Donkey Kong Country Returns*
9. Hogwarts Legacy
10. Sonic Generations
11. Helldivers II
12. Astro Bot
13. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
14. Super Mario Party Jamboree*
15. Elden Ring
16. Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack
17. Mario Kart 8*
18. The Crew: Motorfest
19. UFC 5
20. It Takes Two*

*Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data.