The results are in; Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of 2023. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a knock at the wizard game, not in the slightest. You can read our review of the game here.
When it comes down to what games sell the most copies each year, there does not seen to be too much of a contest. Since 2008, a standard was set: if Rockstar released a new game, it would be the top seller, and if not, then the most sold game usually fell to Call of Duty. Last year, things played out differently, with Hogwarts Legacy beating out every other game released as the most-sold title of 2023. Who said guns and cars and violence trump wizards, brooms and wands?
This feat is even more impressive if you consider the controversy surrounding the game’s launch, thanks to comments made by the author of the Harry Potter franchise, She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, or J.K Rowling for those who don’t get the reference. This led to the developers distancing themselves from the author who created the universe the game plays in.
But no amount of controversy could stamp out the magic that helped the game sell over 22 million copies in early 2023 and another 2 million this past December.
The other big sellers of 2023 were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III in second, Madden NFL 24 in third and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 in fourth – which is also crazy impressive considering the game was only released on the PlayStation 5.
The last time a title topped the best-selling list that wasn’t Call of Duty or developed by Rockstar was Rock Band. But while Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty topped the sales charts, Fortnite still claimed the highest engagement for 2023.
In December alone, over 36% of active PS5 players and 31% of active Xbox Series players played Fortnite at least once, letting the game top the monthly active user charts for both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox.
Here are the 15 top-selling games for 2023:
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Madden NFL 24
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Diablo IV
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- EA Sports FC 24
- Starfield
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Resident Evil 4
- MLB: The Show 24
- Dead Island 2
Now I want to know which of these games you have played. Let me know in the comments.