PARIS: “Battlefield 6”, the latest instalment in a long-runnning shooter franchise, snagged the top spot for most lucrative game on the American market in 2025, specialist data firm Circana said Thursday.
The whole US market for games grew 1.4 percent year-on-year to $60.6 billion, according to the figures.
That included seven million sales within the first three days gamers could get their hands on “Battlefield 6”, developed by a string of studios around the world including Sweden’s Dice – the original creators of the series.
Their latest game drops players onto the front lines of a modern war pitting American forces against a private military company supported by former NATO members.
But away from the story, the franchise’s true draw has always been multiplayer battles in which dozens of human players face off across huge landscapes with small arms, tanks, jets and helicopters.
The 2025 figures mark a first-ever top place and mission accomplished for “Battlefield 6”, which aimed to dethrone its main competitor “Call of Duty”.
Where “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” topped the American revenue chart in 2024, its sequel reached only fifth place – failing to win over the huge fan base of the Activision series bought by Microsoft in 2023.
“Battlefield” publisher Electronic Arts was itself bought in late 2024 by a consortium including the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF and US investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.
Also in 2025’s top three were basketball game “NBA 2K26” and shooter “Borderlands 4”, both from American giant Take-Two Interactive.
Sales of games and online content increased one percent year-on-year, with a 20-percent boost for online services.
Meanwhile, console hardware sales were juiced nine percent by the release of Nintendo’s latest Switch 2.
Circana said the device’s 4.4 million sales in the US made it the country’s fastest-selling console ever.
Mobile gaming raked in almost $26 billion on the US market, roughly stable year-on-year, according to analyst firm Sensor Tower.
Circana’s rankings are based on sales of full physical copies of games as well as digital versions from Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and PC storefronts offered by various publishers and studios.
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