The Best Sellers

As it does each month, Circana has released its latest monthly sales report, shining a light on how the US video game industry is performing from a business perspective. Total sales for December grew 4% to $7.9 billion, with annual spending increasing 1% to $57.2 billion.

But what games sold the best in December? The best-selling game should surprise no one--it was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. But that game did not sell the best for the full year, as Hogwarts Legacy stole the crown and ended a decade-plus run of either the latest Call of Duty or the newest Rockstar Games title winning out for the year.

Titles marked with an asterisk (*) do not include digital sales. Additionally, Circana does not disclose specific unit-sales numbers, only the ranking. What's more, total sales are just one element of a game's potential reach, as some games, like Starfield, are also available via a subscription membership.

With all that out of the way, here are the top 20 best-selling games in the US for December 2023. For more, check out the top 20 best-selling games of 2023.

20: UFC 5

19. Assassin's Creed Mirage

18. Just Dance 2024 Edition

17. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*

*Digital sales not included

16. Elden Ring

15. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

14. God of War: Ragnarok

13. Minecraft

12. Sonic Superstars

11. Super Mario RPG*

*Digital sales not included

10. Mario Kart 8*

* Digital sales not included

9. NBA 2K24*

* Digital sales not included

8. Mortal Kombat 1

7. EA Sports FC

6. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

5. Spider-Man 2

4. Hogwarts Legacy

3. Madden NFL 24

2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder*

* Digital sales not included

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III