Call of Duty, FIFA Led PS5 Downloads in March 2021

It is difficult to knock the biggest games off their perch atop video game sales charts, and in a month without a massive AAA title to disrupt the order, the old guard remained on top of PlayStation 5 downloads in March 2021. In February, FIFA 21 ruled PS5 downloads, topping both the European and North American charts. While Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War now sits on top of the charts in North America for March, the list does appear to be more of the same in the third month of the year.

Both FIFA and Call of Duty have dominated sales charts since their releases last year, continuing a trend likely to be seen on next-gen consoles as studios work on major titles for the new consoles. Annualized games may come to define the PS5 and Xbox Series X in these early days, and so far sales and download charts reflect that. It takes a while for truly next-gen content to arrive on new consoles, so settling into a groove with safe, annual releases like FIFA, Call of Duty, or the NBA 2K franchise are likely to make up most of the landscape for now.

In March 2021, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War regained top spot in North America, knocking FIFA 21 down to ninth place, perhaps on the back of the new Season 2 content made available. With the potentially huge nuke event taking place in Call of Duty: Warzone, fans might be looking to get in on the action before something drastic happens to the Verdansk map for the popular battle royale linked to Black Ops Cold War.

FIFA on the other hand, holds strong in the European market, as the soccer season continues in the major European football leagues. The numbers for FIFA 21 on the PS4 have dropped off slightly, but having number one locked on PS5 could be an indication that more folks are able to get their hands on a PS5 now. The PS5 is still the top-selling console in the UK, so with that larger userbase establishing itself, folks are now able to upgrade to the PS5 version of FIFA 21.

Both games at the top of the charts have faced a fair bit of scrutiny in the past month, from a number of issues and game-breaking bugs plaguing in Black Ops Cold War to a scandal involving insiders distributing sought-after loot drops in FIFA 21. This bout of bad press didn't deter fans from downloading, however, despite a strong showing from It Takes Two making moves on the charts. One has to wonder what it will take to knock off these two games, but People Can Fly's Outriders on PS5 might have something to say in April.

The launch of the PlayStation 5 has been an obvious success. The console sold out at launch and has remained largely unavailable since then. With the PS5 being out of stock, however, it's been difficult to tell just how successful the console was. The latest NPD Group report has luckily provided some perspective on that matter. In a statistic showing total dollar sales over a console's first four months, the PS5 is now the fastest-selling console in US history.

As impressive as that statement may be, that the PS5 is now the fastest-selling console in US history, it does require some context. Most importantly, it has to be reiterated that this is not a measurement of total consoles sold. This is a measurement of the value of those total consoles sold. In other words, if one adds the retail value of every console sold in the past four months, the PS5 has earned the most dollars.