Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Leads November Sales Surge, Boosts Xbox Game Pass

Activision’s latest hit in the realm of first-person shooters is holding its ground at the top of the gaming charts.

According to Mat Piscatella, an executive director and analyst at Circana, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 took the top spot as November 2024’s best-selling game in the U.S., continuing its dominance since its strong release in October. Piscatella shared these findings via a thread on Bluesky.

With its soaring popularity, the game has surpassed PlayStation’s Helldivers 2 to become the second best-selling game of the year. It trails only behind EA’s College Football 25, which has now secured its place as the most successful sports title in U.S. history. On top of these impressive sales, Black Ops 6 is also giving a significant boost to Xbox Game Pass, seeing a subscription spending increase of 8% compared to last year.

Looking at the console market, the PlayStation 5 emerged as the top-selling console, both in terms of revenue and units sold, with the Nintendo Switch following in second place, and Xbox Series X|S in third.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the best-selling games for the month and year-to-date. It’s worth noting that this data doesn’t paint the complete picture, as some publishers, like Focus Entertainment with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, choose not to share digital sales figures.

November 2024 Circana Sales Charts: Top 20 Best-Selling Games in the U.S.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Madden NFL 25
3. EA Sports FC 25
4. EA Sports College Football 25
5. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
6. Super Mario Party Jamboree*
7. Mario & Luigi: Brothership*
8. Sonic x Shadow Generations
9. NBA 2K25
10. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
11. Hogwarts Legacy
12. Dragon Quest 3
13. Astro Bot
14. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
15. Silent Hill 2 (2024)
16. Undisputed
17. Metaphor: ReFantazio
18. Minecraft****
19. My Sims: Cozy Bundle
20. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics

November 2024 Circana Sales Charts: Best-Selling Games of the Year So Far

1. EA Sports College Football 25
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
3. Helldivers 2
4. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
6. Madden NFL 25
7. EA Sports FC 25
8. EA Sports MVP Bundle
9. Elden Ring
10. Dragon’s Dogma 2
11. MLB The Show 24**
12. WWE 2K24***
13. Hogwarts Legacy
14. Grand Theft Auto 5***
15. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
16. Tekken 8
17. NBA 2K24***
18. Minecraft****
19. Madden NFL 24
20. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

No digital sales data available.
No digital sales data for Xbox or Nintendo Switch.
No digital data for September through November.
****No digital sales data for Nintendo Switch.

Analysis: Has Microsoft Cracked the Code for Call of Duty?

There has been much speculation about the launch of Call of Duty under Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass umbrella, but it seems the company has struck the perfect balance. Not only has Call of Duty topped the charts for two consecutive months, but it’s also encouraging increased subscription spending.

Looking ahead, I wonder how the annual Call of Duty cycle will evolve over the next few years, especially as so many of Activision’s studios are deeply involved in maintaining this franchise. For now, though, it’s likely that many on the team are celebrating their success.