UK December Gaming Charts: FIFA 23, Call of Duty, and God of War Ragnarok Lead the Pack

The UK saw nearly 6.4 million video game sales in December, marking a decline of almost 8% from the previous year. The sales figures comprise 2.85 million digital downloads and over 3.5 million physical purchases, according to the latest data from GSD. FIFA 23 took the top spot as the best-selling game for the month, closely followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Notably, despite the larger install base of the PS5 and PS4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's sales were relatively evenly split between PlayStation platforms, accounting for 54% of sales, and Xbox consoles, which made up 46% of sales. The release of God of War Ragnarok, a major PlayStation exclusive, may have influenced the game's performance on Sony's platforms. God of War Ragnarok secured the third spot, although if the sales of Pokémon Violet and Scarlet were combined, it would have claimed the third position. The month also saw a few new releases, but none managed to break into the top ten. EA's Need for Speed: Unbound debuted at 14th place, with launch sales 44% lower than those of 2019's Need for Speed Heat. The Callisto Protocol ranked 16th, but it's worth noting that digital sales data for this game is not included in the chart. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion entered the scene at 20th place. In terms of hardware, over 460,000 consoles were sold in December 2022, representing a 24% increase from November but a 17% decline from December 2021, based on GfK figures. PS5 console sales experienced a marginal increase compared to the previous year, while sales of both Xbox Series S and X and Nintendo Switch decreased. Nintendo narrowly claimed the top spot as the best-selling console during the Christmas period, just ahead of the PS5. The accessories market saw the sale of 1.85 million add-on products, a 44% rise from November but an 11% drop from the previous December. Controllers led the market, with the PS5 DualSense controller taking the top spot. The digital data from GSD encompasses sales from participating companies through platforms like Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, including major companies such as Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Sony, although notable exceptions include Nintendo and 505 Games, along with smaller studios.