The gaming world saw a surprising victor in 2024: EA Sports College Football 25. This title clinched the top spot as the best-selling game of the year, surpassing even highly anticipated releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, according to market research firm Circana. This achievement isn’t just a win for the year; EA Sports College Football 25 also secured its place as the best-selling sports game in U.S. history and landed within the top 50 best-selling games of all time in the U.S. based on dollar sales.
This data, shared by Circana executive director Mat Piscatella on Bluesky, reveals intriguing insights into the 2024 gaming landscape. While EA Sports College Football 25 celebrated a significant triumph, the overall video game industry experienced a slight dip. Spending across hardware, content, and accessories decreased by 7% compared to the previous year, resulting in a flat year-to-date spending trend. However, consumers still invested a substantial $5.8 billion in gaming this year. This minor decline doesn’t necessarily signal a downward trajectory for the industry as a whole.
One contributing factor to the November sales dip is attributed to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. This title’s revenue model, primarily driven by game sales supplemented by in-game cosmetic purchases and battle pass subscriptions, proved so successful that it attracted players from other franchises, impacting their sales figures.
Zooming out to the overall 2024 gaming scene, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket emerges as a standout launch. Released in late October, this mobile title quickly ascended to the No. 2 revenue-generating game globally in November, as reported by Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower. The only game surpassing TCG Pocket was Honor of Kings, a popular mobile MOBA.
Hardware also played a significant role in 2024. The Nintendo Switch officially surpassed the lifetime sales of the PlayStation 2 in the U.S. market, marking a historic milestone. Furthermore, the PlayStation 5 Pro contributed 19% of all PlayStation sales and a notable 28% of all PlayStation earnings.
For a deeper dive into the 2024 gaming market data, including detailed information on physical sales, hardware performance, and other key metrics, refer to Mat Piscatella’s Bluesky post.
