Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Dominates US Charts on Steam Debut

January 2025's video game sales reflected the typical post-holiday lull, with only one new title cracking the top 20 and Call of Duty dominating, as expected. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted at No. 2 on Circana's U.S. dollar sales charts but gradually declined to No. 17 by year's end. While respectable, Square Enix publicly acknowledged the game fell short of sales projections, fueling speculation about its performance. The game's initial PS5 exclusivity was a likely contributing factor to lower sales compared to cross-platform competitors like Dragon's Dogma 2 and its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

The January 2025 Steam release changed the narrative. Rebirth soared to No. 3 on the Circana charts, a significant jump from December's No. 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a dramatic rise, from No. 265 to No. 16. Analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted Rebirth's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the U.S.

This U.S. success likely mirrors international sales, potentially prompting Square Enix to reconsider its future release strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact, stating that while internal publisher perceptions are complex, the consumer response to the Steam launch was overwhelmingly positive. He emphasized the growing trend of PC releases being crucial for third-party publishers, making single-platform exclusivity increasingly challenging without significant platform incentives.

The rest of the January charts showed predictable results: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 secured the top spot, followed by Madden NFL 25. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) was the only new entry in the top 20, reaching No. 8 based solely on physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of eShop digital data. It Takes Two's return to the top 20 (No. 20) is attributed to ongoing promotions and consistent sales throughout the month, possibly linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction in March.

January 2025's overall game spending was down 15% year-over-year ($4.5 billion), partly due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five in 2024). Accessories, content, and hardware spending also experienced significant declines. Despite the overall downturn, PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both units and dollar sales.

Top 20 Best-Selling Games (U.S., January 2025):