Due to the pandemic, which took our world by storm in 2020, game sales saw a massive bump. Largely in part, due to people spending more time indoors and needing something to occupy that time. This, in turn, leads to the industry seeing record spending. The game’s like, Animal Crossing New Horizon, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Ghost of Tsushima, all broke records.
More specifically, video game sales in 2020 set a new record of $57 billion dollars across all major categories. When compared to last year, 2020 saw a 27% increase. This is thanks to a wide variety of factors, such as online content and gaming accessories. But, with the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series of consoles, the new systems were instrumental to bolster that growth.
A List of The Top 20 Best-Selling Games of 2020
| Top 2020 Games Ranked by Dollar Sales | Publisher |
| 1. Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 3. Animal Crossing New Horizon | Nintendo |
| 4. Madden NFL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 5. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | Ubisoft |
| 6. The Last of Us: Part II | Sony (Corp) |
| 7. Ghost of Tsushima | Sony (Corp) |
| 8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo |
| 9. Super Mario 3D All Stars | Nintendo |
| 10. Final Fantasy VII Remake | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 11. Marvel’s Avengers | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 12. Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales | Sony (Corp) |
| 13. NBA 2K21 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| 14. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo |
| 15. FIFA 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 16. Mortal Kombat 11 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 17. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 18. MLB: The Show 20 | Sony (Corp) |
| 19. Cyberpunk 2077 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 20. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
Call of Duty
As we’ve come to expect, Call of Duty, once again, reigns supreme in 2020. Mat Piscatella, had this to say on Twitter:
“Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War was the best-selling game of both December as well as 2020, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was 2020’s 2nd best-seller. Call of Duty ranked as the best-selling gaming franchise in the U.S. market for a record 12th consecutive year.”
Animal Crossing
Nintendo recorded, yet another dominant year. Not only is it the best-selling console in December but also recording 4 exclusive titles in 2020’s Top 20 Best-Selling Games.
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons was 2020’s 3rd best-selling title, and the 6th best-selling game of December. In 2020 the title achieved the highest physical dollar sales for a Nintendo published the game in a calendar year since Wii Fit Plus in 2010,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said.
The Last of Us Part II
Naughty Dog’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed, The Last of Us, also performed well. On Twitter, Piscatella adds:
“The Last of Us: Part II finished 2020 as the year’s 6th best-selling title overall. The Last of Us: Part II now ranks as the 3rd best-selling Sony published the game in U.S. history in dollar sales, trailing only Marvel’s Spider-Man and 2018’s God of War.”
Where other industries have faltered, thanks to the surging pandemic, it seems the games industry has instead, thrived.
[Source, Mat Piscatella]
