Grand Theft Auto 5 sold over 400,000 copies during lockdown in the UK alone
Hey now, you're a rock star.
Lockdown saw remarkable sales of video games in the UK.
The Entertainment Retailers Association published sales data for 23rd March to 13th June, and it shows video games sold bucketloads on these shores.
The two top-selling entertainment products were videos: Star Wars Episode 9 - The Rise of Skywalker in at number one with 637,484 copies sold during lockdown, and Frozen 2 in at two with 541,783 copies sold.
But video games dominate the lockdown sales chart overall (of the top 40 titles, 21 were games, 16 video and three albums). EA's FIFA 20 was the UK's best-selling video game during the period, selling 506,572 copies. Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sold 474,902.
I'm continually surprised by Grand Theft Auto 5's sales performance. Rockstar's behemoth shows no sign of slowing down, and lockdown saw an incredible 438,902 copies sold in the UK alone. As of August 2020, the game has shipped over 135m copies worldwide across all platforms. Not bad for a game nearly seven years old. Who doesn't own GTA5 in the UK at this point?
Now, it's worth noting the ERA has compiled physical and download sales, which makes it useful. However, not all publishers play ball on the digital side, with Nintendo and Bethesda not supplying the ISFE's Games Sales Data with download numbers.
This is probably why Animal Crossing: New Horizons is only number 11 on this chart with 206,069 copies sold. If download sales were included, I imagine the Nintendo Switch exclusive might have troubled the top three.
And video game sales don't tell the whole story, either. There are microtransactions to take into account (lets not forget the free-to-download Fortnite, which is not on this chart, and its lucrative battle pass), and then there are subscription services, such as Xbox Game Pass and old faithfuls Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, which all make a meaningful contribution to the bottom line of these companies.
All in all, it's boom time for video games. Here's the lockdown top 40 in full:
- Video: Star Wars 9 - The Rise Of Skywalker, Walt Disney Studios - 637,484
- Video: Frozen 2, Walt Disney Studios - 541,783
- Games: FIFA 20, Electronic Arts - 506,572
- Games: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare, Activision Blizzard - 474,902
- Games: Grand Theft Auto 5, Rockstar Games - 438,902
- Video: 1917, Universal Pictures - 411,925
- Video: Jumanji - The Next Level, Sony Pictures HE - 411,151
- Games: NBA 2K20, 2K Sports - 400,879
- Games: Monopoly Plus, Ubisoft - 253,045
- Video: Bad Boys For Life, Sony Pictures HE - 241,471
- Games: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo - 206,069
- Games: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, Activision Blizzard - 203,749
- Video: Onward, Walt Disney Studios - 191,847
- Games: Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Square Enix - 185,260
- Video: Sonic The Hedgehog, Universal Pictures - 177,940
- Video: Knives Out, Elevation Sales - 155,129
- Games: The Sims 4, Electronic Arts - 146,006
- Games: Resident Evil 3, Capcom - 143,042
- Games: Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft - 132,395
- Albums: Future Nostalgia Dua Lipa, Warner Music - 122,740
- Games: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Electronic Arts - 116,669
- Video: Le Mans '66, Walt Disney Studios - 113,962
- Games: Uno, Ubisoft - 112,800
- Games: Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games - 108,784
- Video: Little Women (2019), Sony Pictures HE - 108,245
- Video: Jojo Rabbit, Walt Disney Studios - 107,478
- Games: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft - 104,935
- Albums: Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent Lewis Capaldi, Universal Music - 95,733
- Games: Just Dance 2020, Ubisoft - 95,656
- Games: Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft - 95,139
- Video: Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous, Warner Home Video - 94,810
- Games: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Activision Blizzard - 93,713
- Games: EA Sports UFC 3, Electronic Arts - 91,706
- Video: Spies In Disguise, Walt Disney Studios - 88,966
- Video: Bloodshot, Sony Pictures HE - 85,341
- Games: Football Manager 2020, Sega - 84,104
- Video: The Gentlemen, EIV - 80,780
- Games: Spider-Man, Sony Interactive Entertainment - 78,247
- Albums: After Hours Weeknd, Universal Music - 75,871
- Video: Dolittle, Universal Pictures - 74,124