BF6 was the best-selling game of 2025, beating Black Ops 7

That GTA 6 delay sure helped

The battle(field) has been won. Battlefield 6 was the best-selling game of 2025 in the United States, according to data from the market research firm Circana. This marks the first time ever that a new Battlefield entry has been the best-selling game of the year, an honor that typically goes to its chief competitor, Call of Duty.

Released on Oct. 6, 2025, Battlefield 6 was the first Battlefield game in four years, following 2021's Battlefield 2042 and 2018's Battlefield 5, both of which are considered by fans as notable low points for the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 followed Battlefield 6 a few weeks later, with a Nov. 14, 2025, release date. The timing, plus the thematic similarities between each game, teed off a mini-Barbenheimer in the first-person shooter space. For the first time in years, Battlefield and Call of Duty went toe to toe. In terms of sales, at least, there's a clear victor.

There are, of course, a number of caveats to consider here. Circana doesn't track data from the popular Steam and Epic Games Store PC storefronts. Thanks to its earlier release date, Battlefield 6 was on the market for about six weeks longer than Black Ops 7, meaning it had that much more time to accrue sales. Black Ops 7 also launched day one on Game Pass, and according to Xbox, Call of Duty was the biggest series on Game Pass in 2025. Why would anyone who can get Black Ops 7 as part of a subscription they already pay for spend an additional $70 on a copy of the game?

But it's still a remarkable coup for Battlefield, which had a resounding comeback this year following its string of misfires. Look back at the charts of best-selling games over the years, and you'll almost always see a Call of Duty game at the top, with a few exceptions. (Rockstar games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 run the table in their respective release years. Hogwarts Legacy was also the best-selling game of its year.) Despite its devoted fanbase, Battlefield has never quite attained the megawatt sales as other AAA games. With the success of Battlefield 6, one thing is clear: Battlefield's back, baby, and bigger than ever. Now let's just hope EA takes the win and doesn't force an annualized strategy.

Here are the top ten best-selling games of 2025, according to Circana's data:

1. Battlefield 6
2. NBA 2K 2025
3. Borderlands 4
4. Monster Hunter Wilds
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
6. Madden NFL 2026
7. EA Sports College Football 26
8. EA Sport FC 26
9. The Elder Scroll 4: Oblivion Remastered
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6