The analytics company Circana has summarized two decades and presented a list of the best-selling games in the US. The list includes 24 positions, with the Call of Duty series occupying 12 of them.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
The ranking only includes digital and physical sales of the games themselves—without expansions and microtransactions. Free-to-play projects were also not included in the list.
In 2001, the Madden NFL franchise began an era where sports simulators consistently topped the charts for four years, alternating only with Rockstar hits—GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas.
Since 2009, titles from the Call of Duty series have rarely left the chart. Their domination was only interrupted by Rockstar projects, with GTA V in 2013 and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018.
In 2023, Hogwarts Legacy captured fans' nostalgia for a cult classic, taking the top spot. However, with the release of Black Ops 6, Call of Duty might reclaim the lead.
Top best-selling games in the US from 2000 to 2023:
- 2023 — Hogwarts Legacy;
- 2022 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2;
- 2021 — Call of Duty: Vanguard;
- 2020 — Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War;
- 2019 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare;
- 2018 — Red Dead Redemption II;
- 2017 — Call of Duty: WWII;
- 2016 — Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare;
- 2015 — Call of Duty: Black Ops III;
- 2014 — Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare;
- 2013 — GTA V;
- 2012 — Call of Duty: Black Ops II;
- 2011 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3;
- 2010 — Call of Duty: Black Ops;
- 2009 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2;
- 2008 — Rock Band;
- 2007 — Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock;
- 2006 — Madden NFL 07;
- 2005 — Madden NFL 06;
- 2004 — GTA: San Andreas;
- 2003 — Madden NFL 2004;
- 2002 — GTA: Vice City;
- 2001 — Madden NFL 2002;
- 2000 — Pokemon Gold/Silver.