A AAA open world RPG based on Harry Potter was always going to do well, and unsurprisingly, Hogwarts Legacy has been massive success for WB Games. The game, which has sold over 22 million units worldwide, was not only the best-selling game of 2023 in the UK, it also accomplished that feat in the US.
That’s as per data revealed by Circana (previously known as the NPD Group), with analyst Mat Piscatella revealing on Twitter that Hogwarts Legacy was the US’ best-selling game of 2023, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 coming in at No. 2, Madden NFL 24 at No. 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at No. 4, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom at No. 5 (though digital sales aren’t counted for Zelda).
In fact, Hogwarts Legacy has become only the third game in the last decade and a half to have outsold a new Call of Duty release in the US over the course of an entire year. Since 2009, a Call of Duty game has been the best-selling game in the US every year other than 2013 and 2018, when Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 (respectively) took the top spots.
Hogwarts Legacy also topped the platform-specific annual sales charts for PlayStation, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 following in second place and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in third place. On Xbox, Call of Duty took the top spot, with Hogwarts Legacy coming in at No. 2. On Switch, meanwhile, Hogwarts Legacy was ranked fifth, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder taking the top two spots.
Meanwhile, several other new releases also broke into the overall top 20 charts for the year, including the likes of Diablo 4, Mortal Kombat 1, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, EA Sports FC 24, Starfield, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Resident Evil 4.