FF7 Rebirth Climbs to US Charts' Top 3 After Steam Launch

January 2025's video game sales saw a relatively quiet month, mirroring the typical trend. Call of Duty's dominance continued, with only one new release cracking the top 20. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted at No. 2 on Circana's U.S. dollar sales charts but later fell to No. 17 by year's end. While respectable, its performance reportedly fell short of Square Enix's expectations, leading to speculation about its sales success compared to other 2024 RPGs. The lack of official sales figures further fueled this uncertainty.

The game's initial PS5 exclusivity likely hindered its sales potential. However, its January 2025 Steam release propelled it to No. 3 on the Circana charts, a significant jump from December's No. 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a substantial rise, moving from No. 265 to No. 16.

Circana 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 suggests similar international performance, potentially influencing Square Enix's future cross-platform release strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact of the Steam release, stating that while the effect on publisher perception is difficult to assess without internal data, the consumer response was overwhelmingly positive. He further emphasized the growing difficulty for third-party publishers to maintain single-platform exclusivity without significant platform incentives.

The rest of the January 2025 charts showed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 maintaining their top positions. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) was the only new entry in the top 20, reaching No. 8 based solely on physical sales. It Takes Two's return to the top 20 (No. 20) was attributed to ongoing promotion, possibly linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction in March.

Overall, January 2025's game spending was down 15% year-over-year to $4.5 billion, partly due to a shorter tracking period compared to 2024. Accessories and content spending also experienced significant declines. Hardware sales were down across all major consoles, with PS5 remaining the best-selling console.

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.