Switch Best-Selling Console in the UK in 2022, FIFA 23 and Modern Warfare II Best-Selling Games - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 05 January 2023 / 14,698 Views
Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in the UK in 2022, according to GfK Entertainment and reported by GamesIndustry. Sales for the console were down 27.5 percent year-on-year.
The PlayStation 5 was the second best-selling console as sales dropped nearly 33 percent year-on-year. The Xbox Series X|S came in third place plus relatively performed better year-on-year as sales were down nearly 15 percent.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X stock suffered from low supply for most of the year, which is the main reason console sales for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are down compared to 2021.
There were two million video game consoles sold in the UK in 2022, which is down 29 percent compared to 2021.
There was less than 60,000 units separating the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
GSD data shows that 34.2 million physical and digital games were sold in the UK in 2022, which is down nearly six percent compared to 2021.
Nearly 20 million of the games sold were digital, which is down 3.4 percent year-on-year. There were also 14.2 million physical games sold, a drop of nine percent compared to 2021.
The main reason for the drop in 2022 software sales compared to 2021 is due to sales of older titles. 13.9 million of the games sold in 2022 were from new releases, which is actually up 20 percent compared to 2021.
FIFA 23 was the best-selling game in the UK in 2022 and sales were up four percent compared to FIFA 22. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was the second best-selling game with sales up 67 percent compared to 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard.
The combined sales of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were 36 percent higher than 2021's Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Pokémon Violet debuted in 14th place and Pokémon Scarlet debuted in 17th place.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga came in third place, followed by Elden Ring in fourth place and Grand Theft Auto V in fifth place. God of War: Ragnarök debuted in sixth place.
New releases in 2022 that debuted outside the Top 20 include NBA 2K23 in 22nd, Gotham Knights in 25th, Saints Row in 28th, Kirby and the Forgotten Land in 31st, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands in 35th, Splatoon 3* in 38th, and Football Manager 2023 in 45th.
Here are new releases in 2022 outside of the Top 50: Dying Light 2: Stay Human* in 55th, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection in 56th, Just Dance 2023 in 57th, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope in 62nd, Total War: Warhammer 3 in 77th, Mario Strikers: Battle League Football* in 80th, The Last of Us: Part 1 in 88th, and Need For Speed Unbound in 98th.
There were also several new releases in 2022 that debuted outside the Top 100: PGA Tour 23, The Callisto Protocol, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII: Reunion, Ghostwire Tokyo, Evil Dead: The Game, Rainbow Six Extraction, Marvel's Midnight Suns, Two Point Campus, Sniper Elite 5, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Stray, and A Plague Tale: Requiem. Many of these games were also available on subscription services.
GSD 2022 Best-Selling Video Games (Digital + Physical)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA 23 (EA) |
| 2 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Activision Blizzard) |
| 3 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Warner Bros) |
| 4 | Elden Ring (Bandai Namco) |
| 5 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
| 6 | God of War Ragnarok (Sony) |
| 7 | FIFA 22 (EA) |
| 8 | Horizon: Forbidden West (Sony) |
| 9 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
| 10 | Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo)* |
| 11 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo)* |
| 12 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo)* |
| 13 | Gran Turismo 7 (Sony) |
| 14 | Pokémon Violet (Nintendo)* |
| 15 | WWE 2K22 (2K Games) |
| 16 | F1 22 (EA) |
| 17 | Pokémon Scarlet (Nintendo)* |
| 18 | Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (Nintendo/Mojang)* |
| 19 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)* |
| 20 | Sonic Frontiers (Sega) |
*Digital Data Unavailable
GSD 2022 Best-Selling Video Games (Digital Only)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA 23 (EA) |
| 2 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Blizzard) |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
| 4 | Elden Ring (Bandai Namco) |
| 5 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Warner Bros) |
| 6 | FIFA 22 (EA) |
| 7 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
| 8 | God of War: Ragnarok (Sony) |
| 9 | F1 22 (EA) |
| 10 | WWE 2K22 (2K Games) |
GSD 2022 Best-Selling Video Games (Physical Only)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA 23 (EA) |
| 2 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Blizzard) |
| 3 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Warner Bros) |
| 4 | Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo) |
| 5 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo) |
| 6 | God of War Ragnarok (Sony) |
| 7 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo) |
| 8 | Pokémon Violet (Nintendo) |
| 9 | Horizon: Forbidden West (Sony) |
| 10 | Elden Ring (Bandai Namco) |
GSD digital data includes games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, Nintendo Eshop. Major participating companies are Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Embracer Group (including Gearbox, Koch Media, Sabre Interactive), Focus Entertainment, Konami, Marvellous Games, Microids, Microsoft (including Bethesda), Milestone, Nacon, Paradox Interactive, Quantic Dream, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Nintendo and 505 Games are the notable absentees, alongside smaller studios.
*Digital Data Unavailable
Thanks, GamesIndustry.
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 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.