Switch Best-Selling Console in the US in January, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Debuts in 1st - Sales

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The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in the US in January 2020, outselling the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, according to figures from NPD. This isn't a surprise as the PS4 and Xbox One have been on the decline as Sony and Microsoft prepare their next generation consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X, for launch this Holiday season.

Overall spending on hardware dropped 35 percent year-on-year to $129 million, while spending on software dropped 31 percent to $311 million. Overall spending on video games fell 26 percent to $678 million.

"January 2020 tracked spending across video game hardware, software, accessories, and game cards totaled $678 million," said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. "[That’s down] 26% when compared to a year ago. Late-cycle hardware dynamics for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as a lighter new release software slate drove the variance."

"Dollar sales of tracked video game software fell 31 percent in January compared to a year ago, to $311 million," said Piscatella. "Declines were driven by the new release slate, as the January 2019 comparable month featured both Kingdom Hearts III and Resident Evil 2."

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot debuted in first place and is one of the fastest-selling games in franchise history. It had the third-highest opening month for the franchise.

"Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was January’s best-selling game," said Piscatella. "Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot launch month sales were there third highest in franchise history, trailing only Dragon Ball: FighterZ and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the second best-selling game for the month and remains the best-selling game over the past 12 months. Grand Theft Auto V over six years after release has returned to the top five best-sellers list for the first time since August 2019. 

Ring Fit Adventure jumped up to ninth place as word of mouth for the game keeps spreading. 

"Ring Fit Adventure jumped to become the 9th ranked title on the best-sellers chart in January," said Piscatella. "This is the highest ranked placement for Ring Fit Adventure to date."

Here are the top 20 best-selling games in terms of dollars:

1. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019
3. Madden NFL 20
4. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
5. Grand Theft Auto V
6. NBA 2K20
7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
8. Mario Kart 8*
9. Ring Fit Adventure
10. Red Dead Redemption II
11. Minecraft#
12. Pokemon Sword*
13. Luigi’s Mansion 3*
14. Star Wars: Battlefront II 2017
15. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
16. Need for Speed: Heat
17. FIFA 20
18. Just Dance 2020
19. Mortal Kombat 11
20. Pokemon Shield*

* Digital sales not included
^ Steam sales not included
# Minecraft digital sales on Xbox and PlayStation included

*Doesn’t include digital
#Only includes digital on Xbox and PlayStation
^Steam sales not included

Here are the lists of top 10 selling games by platform for the month:

Top 10 best-selling Xbox One games for January 2020

1. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019
3. Madden NFL 20
4. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
5. NBA 2K20
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. Star Wars: Battlefront II 2017
8. Red Dead Redemption II
9. Need for Speed: Heat
10. FIFA 20

Top 10 best-selling PlayStation 4 games for January 2020

1. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019
3. Madden NFL 20
4. Grand Theft Auto V
5. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
6. NBA 2K20
7. Need for Speed: Heat
8. Minecraft
9. FIFA 20
10. Red Dead Redemption II

Top 10 best-selling Nintendo Switch games for January 2020

1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
2. Mario Kart 8*
3. Ring Fit Adventure
4. Pokemon Sword*
5. Luigi’s Mansion 3*
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
7. Pokemon Shield*
8. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
9. Super Mario Party*
10. Just Dance 2020

Thanks VentureBeat.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.

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Chicho (on 14 February 2020)

Ring fit seems to be doing well outside Japan too

• +1

Zenos (on 14 February 2020)

January seems like a slow month for games. February is much busier for me.

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