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 showed a relatively quiet month, mirroring typical January trends. Call of Duty dominated, and only one new release cracked 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 later fell to No. 17 by year's end. Square Enix acknowledged that sales didn't meet expectations, fueling speculation about its performance. The game's initial PS5 exclusivity was a likely contributing factor to lower sales compared to cross-platform competitors like Dragon's Dogma 2.

The January 2025 release of Rebirth on Steam dramatically altered its trajectory. It soared to No. 3 on the Circana charts, up from No. 56 in December. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a significant boost, climbing from No. 265 to No. 16. 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, potentially replicated internationally, could significantly influence Square Enix's future cross-platform release strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact, stating that while the effect on publisher perception is hard to definitively gauge, the consumer response to the Steam launch was undeniably positive, further solidifying the benefits of PC releases. He added that for third-party publishers, single-platform exclusivity is becoming increasingly challenging without substantial platform-holder incentives.

The rest of the January 2025 charts showed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 maintaining their top positions. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) debuted at 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) is attributed to ongoing promotion, possibly linked to the upcoming release of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction.

Overall, January 2025's gaming spending was down 15% year-over-year ($4.5 billion), partly due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five in 2024). Accessories, content, and hardware spending all experienced significant declines. PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both units and dollar sales.

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.