Overtaking was inevitable: UK sales figures for video games in physical format are back in the ball once again
With a delay more to be attributed to the writer than to the sources, we have others sales data to open the month of December in terms of performance of video games at the cash desks. As always, the census of the British body GfK (reported almost punctually by GamesIndustry.biz) makes the UK our litmus test for all of Europe. However, we specify that, like all numbers recorded at the turn of the week, this time too we will see only and only games in physical format. Having made this our usual premise, we can finally dedicate ourselves to our usual appointment.
A scary shot
Unsurprisingly, it can only be one of the evergreen video games by business model that returns to the top of the sales figures. FIFA 22 therefore returns to raise the cup, but selling 33% fewer physical copies compared to the previous week (we do not say “last” because we are talking about last week now; always keep that in mind). Nonetheless, the game has been able to sell more than the previous champion, taking back the reins that it held firmly in its hand until the beginning of last month, and then giving way to Call of Duty: Vanguard, the remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and finally the current second place.
Quicksilver on – Sales figures for video games
This is not to say that the runner-up in sales figures, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, if you’re having a hard time: on the contrary, it still remains one of the best-selling video games of the week. However, in his case, the drop in copies sold was less lenient than in FIFA 22, collapsing by a more impressive percentage: 59%. Although the gold is all of Electronic Arts, it must be said that Nintendo continues to dominate the rest of the top ten with another five positions outside the podium. Additionally, the cross-platform format of Just Dance 2022 sells tens of thousands more copies on Switch than other platforms combined.
A World of Colors – Sales figures for video games
We reported in our previous episode (i.e. last week, referring to data from two weeks ago) that Nintendo Switch had a golden week because of Black Friday. Discounts continue to drive the majority of moves in the leaderboard. The bundle the Switch is sold with together with the Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, for example, it increased the game’s sales by 68%, moving it from twenty-first to thirteenth place. In the same way, Sonic Colors Ultimate (or “Colors” for the British) accelerated sales by 52% between one week and the next, from twenty-eighth to twentieth.
Everything Else – Sales figures for video games
There have been a couple of new arrivals, but you won’t see them in the table at the end of the article. Cricket 22: Official Game of the Ashes he was in fact placed thirtieth. The other game to debut outside the top ten is Big Brain Academy: Challenge of minds of Nintendo, which opened sales in 36th place. The other positions of the top ten, which will instead appear in our printout, are the following. In order, we have Call of Duty: Vanguard, Pokémon Shining Diamond, Just Dance 2022, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Minecraft for Nintendo Switch, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Mario Party Superstars, and finally Pokémon Shining Pearl.
Concluding records
There is not much left to add on the best-selling video games, this time, if not to say goodbye a little earlier than usual with our usual table dedicated to sales data. The interpretation is as follows: the column in the center shows the ten positions in order, while on the left you will see the placements of the games the previous week (or two weeks ago, as we saw last week). Enjoy the reading!
| Placements from two weeks ago | Top ten positions for the week just ended | Title concerned |
| 2 | 1 | FIFA 22 |
| 1 | 2 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| 4 | 3 | Call of Duty: Vanguard |
| 6 | 4 | Pokémon Shining Diamond |
| 7 | 5 | Just Dance 2022 |
| 8 | 6 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
| 3 | 7 | Minecraft (Nintendo Switch version) |
| 5 | 8 | Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy |
| 10 | 9 | Mario Party Superstars |
| 11 | 10 | Shining Pearl Pokémon |
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: what do you think of these results? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on TechGameWorld.com for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.