Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Climbs to No.3 in U.S. Charts After Steam Launch

January 2025 proved to be a relatively quiet month in the world of video games, with minimal new releases making waves. However, the month did not pass without notable developments, particularly in the case of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which could be poised for a remarkable comeback.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which initially launched in February 2024, achieved a strong No.2 position on Circana's charts upon release but saw its ranking decline to No.7 and then No.17 by year's end. Despite these respectable figures, Square Enix had expressed disappointment in the game's sales performance, hinting at unmet expectations. The game's exclusive launch on the PS5 likely contributed to its sales challenges, as platform exclusives often struggle against cross-platform titles.

However, the narrative took a positive turn in January 2025 when Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth became available on Steam, catapulting it from No.56 in December to No.3 on the Circana charts. The Final Fantasy 7: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a significant rise, moving from No.265 to No.16. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted the game's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it as the best-selling game of the week ending January 25th in the U.S. market based on dollar sales, with the Twin Pack ranking third.

This success on Steam could signal a broader trend of strong sales internationally, possibly prompting Square Enix to reconsider its strategy for future Final Fantasy releases, leaning towards cross-platform launches. Piscatella commented on the situation, suggesting that the strong consumer response on Steam underscores the wisdom of releasing on PC, regardless of genre or historical strategies. He also noted the increasing difficulty for third-party publishers to justify platform exclusivity without significant incentives from platform holders.

Square Enix's next earnings call in May will shed more light on their reaction to these developments. Stay tuned for updates.

In other news, it's no surprise that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 dominated January's sales charts, followed by Madden NFL 25. The only new release to break into the top 20 was Donkey Kong Country: Returns on the Nintendo Switch, reaching No.8 based solely on physical sales, as Nintendo does not share digital sales data.

It Takes Two also made a notable return to the top 20 at No.20, driven by steady sales and promotional activities across the PlayStation Store and eShop throughout January. This resurgence is partly fueled by anticipation for Hazelight Studios' upcoming release, Split Fiction, set to launch in March.

January's overall gaming spending figures were somewhat disappointing, influenced by a shorter tracking period this year (four weeks compared to five in 2024). Total spending dropped by 15% to $4.5 billion, though it was 0.3% higher than January 2023's four-week period. Accessories spending decreased by 28% year-over-year, content spending by 12%, and hardware spending by a significant 45%. PS5 hardware spending fell by 38%, Xbox Series by 50%, and Switch by 53%. Despite these declines, the PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both dollars and units, followed by the Xbox Series in hardware spending and the Switch in unit sales.

The top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for January 2025, based on dollar sales, were as follows:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Madden NFL 25
3. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
4. EA Sports FC 25
5. Minecraft*
6. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
7. EA Sports College Football 25
8. Donkey Kong Country Returns*
9. Hogwarts Legacy
10. Sonic Generations
11. Helldivers II
12. Astro Bot
13. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
14. Super Mario Party Jamboree*
15. Elden Ring
16. Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack
17. Mario Kart 8*
18. The Crew: Motorfest
19. UFC 5
20. It Takes Two*

• Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data. Some publishers, including Nintendo and Take-Two, do not share certain digital data for this report.