FIFA 2020 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is set for a titanic battle to be the top-selling video game of 2019 in the UK, according to experts at Argos.
The latest instalments in the popular franchises are the favourites to unseat Minecraft and Mario Kart 8 – currently the year’s biggest games in units sold – from the 2019 throne.
To make the predictions, Argos analysed data for more than 10,000 games going back longer than half a decade.
FIFA, released this Friday, and COD, released in October, aren’t the only games set to attract huge interest. Pokémon Sword and Shield, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Doom Eternal and Need for Speed: Heat is also named as games to watch out for in the Christmas sales battle.
The biggest game in Argos’s history (as far as sales go back) is Grand Theft Auto V.
Top ten best-selling video games of 2019 so far:
- Minecraft – Nintendo Switch/PS4
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo Switch
- Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – Nintendo Switch
- Grand Theft Auto V – PS4/Xbox One
- Days Gone By – PS4
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – PS4/Xbox One
- FIFA 19 – PS4/Xbox One
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate – Nintendo Switch
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – PS4/Xbox One
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – PS4
Peter Wray, Argos Buying Manager for Video Gaming, said:
“FIFA 20 and the latest Call of Duty game are set for a nail-biting battle to be crowned 2019’s top game. FIFA has the initial advantage, being released a month earlier on three consoles as opposed to two for COD. However, just two years ago the COD franchise swept to victory despite a November release.
“This Christmas, we also expect impressive sales for Pokémon Sword and Shield, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Doom Eternal and Need for Speed: Heat. The last film in the most recent Star Wars trilogy will boost interest in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which is out this November, while Metal Gear fans will be out in their droves to purchase Hideo Kojima’s PS4 title, Death Stranding.”
Peter Wray continued:
“What’s clear from the best-sellers since 2013 is that being available on multiple consoles is highly beneficial to overall sales. However, major games available on one console such as Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch, Forza Horizon 3 on Xbox One and Marvel’s Spider-Man on PS4 still generated phenomenal numbers.”
Top 15 best-selling video games at Argos since 2013:
- Grand Theft Auto V – PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- Minecraft – Nintendo Switch/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- FIFA 15 – Wii/3DS/PS VitaPS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- FIFA 14 – Wii/3DS/PS Vita/PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- FIFA 17 – PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- Call of Duty WWII – PS4/Xbox One
- FIFA 18 – Nintendo Switch/PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- FIFA 16 – PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- FIFA 19 – Nintendo Switch/PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – PS4/Xbox One
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo Switch
- Forza Horizon 3 – Xbox One
- Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Switch
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – PS4
- The SIMS 4 – PS4/Xbox One/PC
Argos’s top Christmas games are available for pre-order on argos.co.uk.