Battlefield 6 Poised to Unseat Call of Duty as 2025’s Best-Selling Game
Despite a strong November launch, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 faces an uphill battle against Battlefield 6 for the title of best-selling game of 2025 in the United States.
The latest data from Circana reveals that Black Ops 7 debuted as the top-selling video game in November, continuing a remarkable 18-year streak for the Call of Duty franchise of topping the charts in its release month. However, the game currently ranks seventh in year-to-date sales, trailing Battlefield 6 at number one, with NBA 2K26, Monster Hunter Wilds, Borderlands 4, EA Sports College Football 26, and Madden NFL 26 filling the positions in between.
While Black Ops 7 achieved the November sales crown, its rivals have benefited from a longer time on the market. “All of these titles have been on the market for a few more months, but there is still a lot of ground to recover in a single month, and Call of Duty is a bit at a disadvantage,” one analyst noted. A significant factor impacting Black Ops 7’s sales is its availability on Game Pass. The subscription service reduces full-game purchases on Xbox consoles, as players access the title through their membership. Currently, there is limited data available on how Call of Duty’s presence on Game Pass affects overall subscription numbers.
Adding to the challenge, Black Ops 7 is not resonating with players and critics to the same degree as its predecessor. Reports indicate a decline in critical scores, fan response, and sales figures in Europe, with Activision acknowledging the underperformance. Circana data shows a double-digit percentage decrease in dollar sales compared to November 2024. “Dollar sales of the full version of Black Ops 7 in November were below those of Black Ops 6 last November,” a senior director at Circana stated, noting that Black Ops 6 was released in October 2024.
Despite its strong launch, Battlefield 6 has faced recent setbacks. A recent game update introduced significant bugs on both PC and console platforms. Nevertheless, projections remain optimistic for the title’s overall performance. “Battlefield 6 it is ‘extremely likely’ that it will end up being the best selling game of 2025 in the US,” according to Circana’s senior director.
This wouldn’t be the first time Call of Duty has been dethroned. In 2023, Hogwarts Legacy surpassed Modern Warfare 3, even without being available on Game Pass. Prior to that, only Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 from Rockstar Games had managed to outperform the franchise, a streak dating back to Rock Band in 2008.
Given these trends, it’s unsurprising that Activision is reportedly considering substantial changes to its annual release strategy. The company is evaluating how it plans and releases future installments in the Call of Duty series.
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The shifting landscape of the video game market suggests that the dominance of Call of Duty may be waning, and Battlefield 6 is well-positioned to capitalize on this opportunity.
