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Amid news that Activision and the Call of Duty series are being acquired by Microsoft, the NPD Group has released its sales report for December 2021 and the full year, revealing that Call of Duty: Vanguard and Black Ops Cold War were the top two best-selling games of the year.
Vanguard was December’s best-selling game of December and the full year, and the series has now been the best-selling game franchise for dollar sales for 13 years in a row.
Halo Infinite was December’s second best-selling game overall and the top-seller on Xbox. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl was No. 3 overall for December and No. 1 on Nintendo platforms for December and the full year. The Pokemon series had a banner year in 2021, with physical software reaching the highest annual total since the year 2000.
Another standout was Resident Evil Village, which ended 2021 as the eighth best-selling game. The Resident Evil franchise reached new heights in terms of dollar sales in the US during 2021.
For hardware, the Switch was December’s best-selling console in terms of units, while the Switch and PS5 “effectively tied” for dollar sales, the NPD said. For the full year, however, the Switch was the best-seller in terms of unit and dollar sales. For December specifically, total spending on hardware fell 3% to $1.3 billion. For the full year, however, spending jumped 14% to $6.1 billion.
In total, spending across games, hardware, and accessories for December 2021 reached $7.5 billion, down 1% year-over-year. For the entire year, spending hit $60.4 billion, up 8% and a new all-time US record.
Check out the sales charts below to see more of the best-selling games of December 2021 and the full year. Looking oiutside of the US, here is a rundown of the best-selling games and consoles of 2021 in the UK.
December 2021 Top 20 Best-Selling Games
Call of Duty: VanguardHalo InfinitePokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*Madden NFL 22Battlefield 2042Mario Kart 8*Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMario Party Superstars*NBA 2K22*Animal Crossing: New Horizons*FIFA 22Super Smash. Bros. Ultimate*MinecraftFar Cry 6Just Dance 2022Forza Horizon 5Guardians of the GalaxyGhost of TsushimaSuper Mario 3D World*The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
2021 Overall Top 20 Best-Selling Games
Call of Duty: VanguardCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarMadden NFL 22Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*Battlefield 2042Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMario Kart 8*Resident Evil VillageMLB The Show 21^Super Mario 3D World*Far Cry 6FIFA 22MinecraftAnimal Crossing: New Horizons*NBA 2K22*Assassin’s Creed ValhallaSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate*Back 4 BloodMortal Kombat 11Forza Horizon 5
*Digital sales not included
^Xbox digital sales not included
December 2021 Top 10 Games On Nintendo
No digital sales included
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining PearlMario Kart 8Mario Party SuperstarsAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsSuper Smash Bros UltimateJust Dance 2022Super Mario 3D WorldLegend of Zelda: Breath of the WildNew Super Mario Bros.Minecraft
December 2021 Top 10 Games On PlayStation
Call of Duty: VanguardSpider-Man: Miles MoralesMadden NFL 22Battlefield 2042NBA 2K22*Ghost of TsushimaFIFA 22Far Cry 6Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartGuardians of the Galaxy
*Digital sales not included
December 2021 Top 10 Games On Xbox
Halo InfiniteCall of Duty: VanguardMadden NFL 22Battlefield 2042Forza Horizon 5Far Cry 6NBA 2K22*FIFA 22Assassin’s Creed ValhallaCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
*Digital sales not included
2021 Top 10 Games On Nintendo
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining PearlMario Kart 8Super Mario 3D WorldAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsSuper Smash Bros UltimateMonster Hunter: RiseLegend of Zelda: Breath of the WildMario Party SuperstarsPokemon Sword/ShieldLegend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
*Digital sales not included
2021 Top 10 Games On PlayStation
Call of Duty: VanguardMadden NFL 22Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarSpider-Man: Miles MoralesMLB The Show 21Battlefield 2042FIFA 22Ghost of TsushimaResident Evil VillageFar Cry 6
2021 Top 10 Games On Xbox
Call of Duty: VanguardCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarMadden NFL 22Battlefield 2042Far Cry 6Forza Horizon 5Halo InfiniteAssassin’s Creed ValhallaFIFA 22Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
