Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Dominates January 2026 as Top-Selling Game in the US, Fueling 3% Increase in Sales through Subscriptions

January 2026 Video Game Sales: A Snapshot of the Market

Mat Piscatella, the executive director of Circana, has unveiled his first sales report for video game purchases in the US for January 2026. Dominating the premium sales charts is Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, marking its second consecutive month at the top. Year-on-year spending within the US gaming sector increased by 3%, attributed mainly to robust sales in subscription services and gaming hardware.

Despite Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 maintaining its stronghold as the top seller, it has not dethroned Battlefield 6 as the best-selling game of 2025.Battlefield 6 faced challenges in January, slipping to the fifth position on the sales charts, largely due to the delayed release of its second season of content.

Shifts in the Sales Rankings

In the tight competition for the top positions, NBA 2K26 successfully held on to second place, while Madden NFL 26 moved from fourth to third. Remarkably, Minecraft climbed the ranks from eighth to fourth. A notable mention is Final Fantasy VII Remake, which experienced a staggering leap from 225th place to ninth. This surge followed its launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S, illustrating the impact of platform expansion on sales potential.

In fact, while Forza Horizon 5 occupies the tenth spot, it’s likely that Code Vein 2 found itself just outside the top ten due to the overwhelming sales of Final Fantasy VII Remake. On the brighter side, Code Vein 2 celebrated some success as it led the charts in PC gaming sales.

January 2026 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U. S.(Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-02-20T14:00:13.684Z

Notably, Fallout 4 entered the top 20 at the twentieth spot after climbing from 68th place in December 2025—demonstrating its continued relevance in the competitive gaming marketplace.

Industry Insights and Future Projections

As we progress into the year, the competition between Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 will be intriguing to watch, particularly with many anticipated titles slated for release.

January has historically been a quieter period for gaming sales, often struggling post-holiday season; nevertheless, the sector recorded a 3% increase in spending relative to January 2025. This growth was powered by significant rises in hardware acquisition and subscription services.

January 2026 U. S.Video Game Total Spending – Total January projected spending across video game hardware, content and accessories grew 3% when compared to a year ago, to $4.7 billion. A 23% increase in subscription spending and 16% growth in hardware fueled the gain.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-02-20T14:00:13.683Z

The surge in hardware sales can likely be linked to gamers utilizing holiday gift funds to purchase new consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, both topping the hardware sales for January 2026. The reported 16% growth in hardware expenditure indicates a thriving market for new technologies.

Looking ahead to February, the sales landscape is expected to shift once more, especially with the arrival of major releases like Nioh 3, which is anticipated to sell over a million units, and Resident Evil Requiem. Observing how these titles perform will provide insight into the evolving preferences of gamers.

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