FF7 Rebirth Soars to No. 3 After Disappointing Launch

January 2025 proved a relatively quiet month for the video game industry, mirroring the typical lull following the holiday season. Only one new release cracked the top 20 sales charts, and Call of Duty predictably dominated. However, a potential comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted at number two on Circana's U.S. sales charts but gradually slipped to number 17 by year's end. While respectable, these figures reportedly fell short of Square Enix's expectations, prompting speculation about the game's performance compared to other major RPG releases like Dragon's Dogma 2. Square Enix itself confirmed the game missed sales targets, but refrained from publicly disclosing specific numbers.

The narrative shifted in January 2025 with the game's release on Steam, ending its PlayStation 5 exclusivity. This catapulted Rebirth from number 56 in December to number 3 in January. The Final Fantasy VII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a significant jump, moving from number 265 to number 16. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted the game's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the U.S.

While these figures are U.S.-specific, they suggest a similar global trend, potentially influencing Square Enix's future cross-platform release strategies. Piscatella commented that the Steam launch demonstrated the strong consumer demand for PC releases, making single-platform exclusivity increasingly challenging for third-party publishers without significant platform-holder incentives. Square Enix's official response is expected at their May earnings call.

Elsewhere on the charts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 secured the top two spots. The only new entry in the top 20 was Donkey Kong Country: Returns for Nintendo Switch, achieving number 8 based solely on physical sales (Nintendo doesn't provide digital sales data). It Takes Two also reappeared at number 20, attributed to ongoing promotions and consistent sales throughout the month, possibly linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction in March.

January 2025 saw a 15% year-over-year decline in overall games spending to $4.5 billion, partially due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five in 2024). Accessories spending dropped 28%, content spending fell 12% (with console content down 35%), and hardware spending decreased by 45%. PS5 remained the top-selling hardware, followed by Xbox Series in spending and Switch in unit sales.

The top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for January 2025 (based on dollar sales):

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. Some publishers, including Nintendo and Take-Two, do not share certain digital data for this report.