Tomb Raider reboot sets new sales record for the series and enjoys the best-selling opening weekend of the year so far.

Square Enix's reboot of Tomb Raider has topped the UK charts this week, comfortably beating Aliens: Colonial Marines to become the best-selling launch of 2013 so far.

Tomb Raider's week one sales were over double what Aliens: Colonial Marines managed when it launched three weeks ago. Both games were released on a Tuesday and are therefore dubbed "event" titles by UK sales collator Chart-Track. Games in the UK traditionally launch on Friday.

All in all, developer Crystal Dynamics' new take on Lara Croft has set new opening-week sales records for the franchise, selling twice as many copies as Tomb Raider: Legend, the previous strongest launch for the series, managed way back in 2006.

EA's SimCity finished in second place, managing a strong launch despite a weekend of connectivity problems for its users. EA has promised anyone who tried to play SimCity over the weekend a free game, but hasn't given any more details yet.

Namco Bandai's Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 debuts in third place, with The Sims 3: University Life starting in fourth place. This is the first week in 2013 when four new games have occupied the top of the charts.

FIFA 13 is hanging on reliably in fifth, and Crysis 3--last week's chart topper--drops to sixth.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is seventh, Far Cry 3 eighth, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ninth, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is 10th.

The Top 20 UK charts for the week ending March 9:

1. Tomb Raider
2. SimCity
3. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
4. The Sims 3: University Life
5. FIFA 13
6. Crysis 3
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
8. Far Cry 3
9. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
11. Assassin's Creed III
12. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
13. Skylanders Giants
14. Hitman Absolution
15. Aliens: Colonial Marines
16. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
17. Halo 4
18. Grand Theft Auto IV
19. Dead Space 3
20. Forza Horizon

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