2022 is winding down, which means the next couple of weeks will be all about taking a look back at the last 12 months and studying how the games industry fared across multiple fronts. GamesIndustry has published its yearly wrap-up to that end, and along with plenty of other intriguing data, it also reveals what the best-selling games of the year were in three major regions- the US, the UK, and Japan (courtesy of sales data from the NPD Group, Gfk, and Famitsu respectively).
In the US, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling game of the year, though that shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point. The shooter performed well in the UK as well, coming in at No. 2. The UK’s top-placed game isn’t going to come as shock to anyone either- like its predecessors, FIFA 23 was the region’s best-selling game of the year. It also ranked at No. 9 in the US.
In Japan, meanwhile, Splatoon 3 topped the charts, which was to be expected after the game’s tremendous launch in the region. It even managed to outsell Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which slotted in at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. Both Pokemon games also saw strong sales in the US and the UK, with Legends taking sixth and third place in the US and the UK respectively, and Scarlet and Violet coming in at No. 7 and No. 5 in the regions.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, meanwhile, took the No. 4 spot in the US and the No. 6 spot in the UK, while Horizon Forbidden West saw strong sales as well, coming in at No. 4 in the UK and No. 8 in the US. Then there’s Elden Ring, which took second place in the US, and tenth place in both Japan and the UK. God of War Ragnarok took fifth place in the US and eighth place in the UK.
You can check out the full charts below.
| No. | US | UK (physical sales only) | Japan (physical sales only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | FIFA 23 | Splatoon 3 |
| 2. | Elden Ring | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Pokemon Scarlet and Violet |
| 3. | Madden NFL 23 | Pokemon Legends: Arceus | Pokemon Legends: Arceus |
| 4. | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Horizon Forbidden West | Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
| 5. | God of War Ragnarok | Pokemon Scarlet and Violet | Nintendo Switch Sports |
| 6. | Pokemon Legends: Arceus | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| 7. | Pokemon Scarlet and Violet | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition |
| 8. | Horizon Forbidden West | God of War Ragnarok | Mario Party Superstars |
| 9. | FIFA 23 | Nintendo Switch Sports | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate |
| 10. | MLB The Show 22 (Xbox and Switch digital sales not included) | Elden Ring | Elden Ring |