2024 has come and gone, bringing explosive new games to the home consoles of excited fans. Many video game franchises have been well-received due to explosive fan attention. New games like Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO was released to near-critical acclaim from fans. As we move into the new year, we should look back at some of 2024’s best hits. These three games are the best-selling titles of 2024, far eclipsing the rest.
3. Helldivers 2
Starting off our best-selling list at number three is Helldivers 2, released on February 8th, 2024. The game is a third-person shooter title, a direct sequel to 2015’s initial Helldivers. Helldivers 2‘s story takes place after the victory of Super Earth, a managed democracy. Players are put against the vicious Terminid, the Automatons, and the Illuminate. Helldivers 2 focuses on cooperation between teammates, which is especially prevalent when getting objectives. The shooter title has the player operate missions by fighting hordes of enemies.
Helldivers 2 was a surefire hit with audiences on day one of its release. Helldivers 2 is PlayStation’s fastest-selling title, selling 12 million copies in three months. Before Helldivers 2, God of War Ragnarök was Sony’s best-selling title. Helldivers 2 easily trumped Ragnarök‘s sales record within 12 weeks of its release. Steam helped contribute to Helldivers 2‘s success, as at least 60% of its sales came from the website. In fact, Helldivers 2 has become a massive hit with PC gamers. According to Statista, Helldivers 2 surpassed Ragnarök‘s predecessor, God of War (2018), as Sony’s most popular Steam title.
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 drops into number two on our best-selling list. Black Ops 6 was released on October 25th, 2024. Much like its predecessors, Black Ops 6 is a first-person shooter title. The game features highly competitive gameplay, promoting multiplayer and co-op modes. Black Ops 6 also features the well-known zombie campaign for players to sink their teeth into. Black Ops 6 features a new mechanic: omnidirectional movement. Characters can move freely in any direction they choose.
Black Ops 6 was critically received upon release. Much praise was given to the game’s improved gameplay and campaign. Black Ops 6 has the largest opening weekend of the Call of Duty franchise. Statista collected data on the best-selling games in October of 2024. The data shows that Black Ops 6 was the best-selling video game of October. Additionally, Activision-Blizzard revealed that with the game’s launch, Call of Duty has sold more than 500 million copies. This number makes it one of the best-selling video game franchises in history.
1. College Football 25
EA Sports College Football 25 lands the touchdown at number one on our list. The game was released on July 19th, 2024. College Football 25 is a sequel to NCAA Football 14, released in 2013. For a long time, EA (Electronic Arts) swore off creating video games. This was after the federal court discovered that EA and the NCAA were not paying players for their video game portrayals. As a result, the NCAA pulled their licensing from the games, halting production. NCAA would eventually reverse their position, and College Football 25 would be released.
On launch, College Football 25 attracted at least five million players in its first week. More than that, Insider Gaming reports that College Football 25 made 500 million already. Statista’s data on the best-selling games of October ranked College Football 25 in 5th place. As of November, the game was significantly pushed back to the 11th spot. The game owes its success to its strong performance, dynamic playstyle, and stellar graphics. Reviewers have cited how well the game holds up, especially against titles like Madden. College Football 25 has carved out a solid identity for a best-selling game. For football fans, this is one game you should definitely check out.
Looking Forward with Gaming
2024 has been a fantastic year for gamers due to the explosion of new content. These three games are all great examples of the year’s performance. All three of them were sequels or recent continuations of prior series. What they did well was innovate by adding new elements to reshape how people perceive gameplay. Looking forward, 2025 already has numerous ways to up the ante. A lot of titles revealed this year left gamers excited about their release. This list includes titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, Borderlands 4, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. If you are a gaming enthusiast like me, next year holds much to be excited about.
