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 predictable, with only one new release cracking 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 saw its ranking decline throughout the year, eventually settling at No. 17. While respectable, Square Enix publicly acknowledged that sales fell short of expectations, fueling speculation about its performance. The game's initial PS5 exclusivity was cited as a potential factor hindering broader sales.

The January 2025 release of Rebirth on Steam dramatically altered its trajectory. The title surged to No. 3 on the Circana charts, a significant jump from its December ranking of No. 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also experienced a substantial boost, rising from No. 265 to No. 16. Circana 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, likely mirroring international sales, could significantly impact Square Enix's future strategies. Piscatella commented on the potential shift towards cross-platform releases for future Final Fantasy titles, emphasizing the increasing difficulty for third-party publishers to maintain single-platform exclusivity without substantial platform-holder incentives. The final verdict on Square Enix's reaction awaits their May earnings call.

The rest of the January 2025 charts showed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 securing the top two spots. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) was the only new entry in the top 20, reaching No. 8 based solely on physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of digital sales data. It Takes Two's return to the top 20 (No. 20) was attributed to ongoing promotions and consistent sales throughout the month, potentially linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction in March.

Overall, January 2025's gaming spending showed a 15% decrease compared to the previous year, partly due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five). Accessories spending fell by 28%, content spending by 12%, and hardware spending by a significant 45%. Despite the overall decline, 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. Some publishers, including Nintendo and Take-Two, do not share certain digital data for this report.