January 2025's video game sales saw a relatively quiet month, mirroring previous years. Call of Duty's dominance continued, with only one new release cracking the top 20. However, a significant 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, eventually settling at No. 17 by year's end. While respectable, its sales reportedly fell short of Square Enix's expectations, leading to speculation about its performance compared to other major RPGs. The lack of an official sales figure further fueled this speculation.

The game's initial PS5 exclusivity likely hindered its sales. However, its January 2025 Steam release propelled it to No. 3 on the Circana charts, a dramatic rise from December's No. 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a significant boost, jumping 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 performance in other regions, potentially influencing Square Enix's future cross-platform release strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact of the Steam release, stating that releasing exclusively on a single platform is increasingly challenging without significant platform incentives for third-party publishers.

The rest of the January charts showed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 retaining top positions. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) was the only new entry in the top 20, reaching No. 8 based solely on physical sales. It Takes Two's return to the top 20 (No. 20) was attributed to ongoing promotions and consistent sales throughout the month, possibly linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction.

Overall, January 2025's game spending was down 15% year-over-year ($4.5 billion), partially due to a shorter tracking period compared to 2024. Accessories, content, and hardware spending also experienced significant declines. Despite this, PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both units and dollar sales.

Here's 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.