Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Europe’s Best-Selling New Game of 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Credit: Ubisoft)

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Europe’s best-selling new game of 2025, according to sales data collected by GSD up until July 28.

Ubisoft’s latest entry in the long-running franchise managed to outpace fresh competition like Monster Hunter Wilds, Split Fiction, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

The report, first shared by The Games Business, highlights how Shadows quickly rose to the top of new releases this year, cementing Ubisoft’s dominance in the European market.

However, when it comes to the overall chart, EA Sports FC 25 — launched last September — still holds the ultimate No.1 spot across the continent.

A Strong Year for Assassin’s Creed, But a Decline for the Market

Even with Shadows’ success, Europe’s overall games market has taken a hit. GSD analyst Sam Naji revealed that around 71 million PC and console games have been sold so far in 2025, marking a 6% decline year-over-year.

Breaking that down further, 52 million digital copies were sold (a 3% drop), while 19.7 million physical games were sold, which is a much steeper 9% decline.

Interestingly, gamers are spending more per game despite buying fewer titles. For the first 19 weeks of 2025, total spending reached €1.33 billion, only a 2% drop compared to last year. This was largely due to an 8% increase in the average selling price, with buyers now paying around €29 per game, up from €27 in 2024.

Digital sales told a slightly different story. While unit sales dropped by 6%, digital spending actually went up by 8%, thanks to a 15% price increase in average digital game cost, which rose from €22 to €25.

On the other hand, physical games saw a bigger downturn, with sales falling 17% and spending dropping 16%. The average physical price only nudged up slightly from €39 to €40.

Europe’s Top 20 Games of 2025 (as of July 28)

1. EA Sports FC 25 (Electronic Arts)

2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)

3. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar)

4. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar)

5. Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros)

6. Split Fiction (EA)

7. Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)

8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Activision Blizzard)

9. Mario Kart World (Nintendo)*

10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Plaion)

11. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Bethesda)

12. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (EA)

13. Elden Ring: Nightrein (Bandai Namco)

14. It Takes Two (EA)

15. Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar)

16. NBA 2K25 (2K Games)

17. F1 25 (EA)

18. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft)

19. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo)*

20. Battlefield 1 (EA)

Digital sales data not included for Nintendo titles

This chart covers major European markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Nordics. Games bundled with hardware are also factored in.

The Bigger Picture

Despite Shadows’ success, the numbers reveal that Europe’s gaming market is in a tricky phase. Digital sales are becoming increasingly dominant, making up 74% of the total market, which is a 2% increase compared to last year. Meanwhile, physical sales continue to decline year-over-year, pointing to a gradual but steady shift in consumer habits.

For Ubisoft, however, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ performance is a major win. Not only has it beaten other big-name launches, but it has also reaffirmed the franchise’s pull across Europe, despite past failure.