After 'Failing to Meet Expectations' at Launch, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Shoots to No.3 in U.S. Charts With Steam Debut

January 2025's video game sales saw a relatively quiet month, mirroring the typical trend. Call of Duty's dominance remained unchallenged, with only one new title, Donkey Kong Country: Returns, breaking into the top 20. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted at No. 2 on Circana's U.S. dollar sales charts but subsequently fell to No. 17 by year's end. While respectable, these figures reportedly fell short of Square Enix's expectations, prompting speculation about its performance compared to other 2024 RPGs. The lack of official sales figures further fueled this uncertainty.

The game's initial PS5 exclusivity likely hindered sales. However, its January 2025 release on Steam propelled it to No. 3 on the Circana charts, a significant jump from December's No. 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also experienced a substantial rise, moving from No. 265 to No. 16.

Analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted Rebirth's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the U.S. This success suggests similar international performance, potentially influencing Square Enix's future cross-platform release strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact, stating that while publisher perception is complex, the Steam launch demonstrates the significant advantage of PC releases for third-party publishers, making single-platform exclusivity increasingly challenging without substantial platform incentives.

The remainder of the top 20 remained largely predictable, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 leading the pack, followed by Madden NFL 25. Donkey Kong Country: Returns secured the No. 8 spot based solely on physical sales, as Nintendo doesn't provide digital sales data. It Takes Two's return to the top 20 (No. 20) is attributed to ongoing promotions and steady sales throughout the month, potentially linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction.

January 2025's overall spending figures showed a decline compared to the previous year, likely due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five). Overall spending fell 15% to $4.5 billion, with accessories and content spending also significantly down. Hardware sales experienced a steep decline across all major consoles. Despite this, the PS5 remained the best-selling console in both dollar and unit sales.

The top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for January 2025 (based on dollar sales):

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Madden NFL 25
3. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
4. EA Sports FC 25
5. Minecraft*
6. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
7. EA Sports College Football 25
8. Donkey Kong Country Returns*
9. Hogwarts Legacy
10. Sonic Generations
11. Helldivers II
12. Astro Bot
13. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
14. Super Mario Party Jamboree*
15. Elden Ring
16. Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack
17. Mario Kart 8*
18. The Crew: Motorfest
19. UFC 5
20. It Takes Two*

*Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data.