UK Monthly Charts: Xbox Backwards Compatibility Boosts Classic Call of Duty Games

The UK's top-selling video games for the previous month have been revealed, with 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 re-entering the top five due to Xbox backwards compatibility and significant discounts. Modern Warfare 2 rose to No.5, while Black Ops 2 claimed the No.4 spot, following price cuts to £11.99 and £12.49, respectively. Aggressive digital sales on both Xbox and PlayStation platforms led to a chart shake-up, with Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 jumping to No.2 and No.3. FIFA 23 secured the top spot for the month. Total UK video game sales reached 2.36 million, representing a 31% year-over-year increase. Digital downloads accounted for 1.66 million sales, up 40%, while physical sales totaled 701,000, a 12% increase. The best-performing new release for July was Hogwarts Legacy at No.6, and Pikmin 4 charted at No.23. In terms of hardware, console sales dropped 7% month-over-month but rose 7% year-over-year, with the PlayStation 5 remaining the market leader. Nintendo Switch sales slid 15%, while Xbox Series S and X sales declined 12%. Accessory sales decreased 3% to nearly 550,000 units, with Sony DualSense controllers dominating the charts.