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Hogwarts Legacy Breaks Call of Duty’s 15-Year Streak as Best-Selling Game in the U.S.

In 2023, Hogwarts Legacy became the best-selling video game in the United States, ending Call of Duty’s 15-year run at the top of the charts. Developed by Avalanche Software, the Harry Potter-inspired RPG managed to outpace Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which finished in second place.


Hogwarts Legacy.

For over a decade, Call of Duty has been the undisputed sales leader in the U.S., with either the Modern Warfare or Black Ops series dominating year after year. But last year was different. Players flocked to the magical open world of Hogwarts, eager to explore the castle, cast spells, and live out their wizarding fantasies. It wasn’t just a strong debut—it was one of the fastest-selling new IP launches ever, with millions of copies sold globally.


According to data from Circana, platform-wise, Hogwarts Legacy was the top-selling game of 2023 on PlayStation, second on Xbox, and even managed to secure fifth place on Nintendo platforms.


Here are the rest of the top 20 best-selling games of 2023 according to Circana’s report:

  1. Hogwarts Legacy

  2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

  3. Madden NFL 24

  4. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

  5. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

  6. Diablo 4

  7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

  8. Mortal Kombat 1

  9. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

  10. EA Sports FC 24

  11. Starfield

  12. Super Mario Bros Wonder

  13. Resident Evil 4

  14. MLB The Show**

  15. Dead Island 2

  16. Final Fantasy 16

  17. Street Fighter 6

  18. Elden Ring

  19. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*

  20. Minecraft


The broader industry also saw growth. U.S. spending on video game content, hardware, and accessories reached $57.2 billion in 2023, a modest 1% increase from the previous year.


Still, some notable titles didn’t make it to the top 10. Bethesda’s much-awaited Starfield landed outside the upper tier, likely because of its availability on Xbox Game Pass. Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder also charted lower than expected, despite being the fastest-selling Mario game ever. Circana’s report notes that Nintendo’s digital sales data isn’t fully included, which likely impacted its placement. And then there’s Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian Studios doesn’t share sales data with Circana, but given its critical acclaim and massive player base, it almost certainly would have ranked near the top if numbers were available.

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