October 2024 Sales Charts: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Drives Spike in Xbox Game Pass Subscriptions

October turned out to be a powerhouse month for new game releases in the U.S., with a staggering eight out of the top ten best-sellers being launched for the first time. However, true to form, Call of Duty’s latest installment, Black Ops 6, claimed the top spot without much competition, even though it’s available on Xbox Game Pass.

This insight comes from Circana’s latest report on U.S. video game sales, which detailed how Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 fueled a 10% increase in overall gaming expenses year-on-year, reaching an impressive $4.7 billion, according to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella. Dominating the sales charts, Black Ops 6 not only secured the lead for October but also positioned itself as the third best-seller of the year already. Its first two weeks saw sales soaring 23% higher than what last year’s Modern Warfare 3 managed.

In a surprising twist—or maybe not so surprising—an overwhelming 82% of Black Ops 6’s full dollar sales came from PlayStation 5. This can be largely attributed to the game’s presence on Game Pass, which likely led Xbox users to opt for it there. Circana’s findings also highlighted that non-mobile video game subscription spending saw a 16% rise from the previous year in October, thanks in large part to Black Ops 6 enticing a surge of new subscribers to Game Pass.

Trailing behind in the sales rankings was Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, cementing its status as the fourth top-seller of the year, the most successful Dragon Ball game in U.S. history, and Bandai Namco’s third best-selling game. Only Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 have achieved higher sales in their catalog.

Next up was the revamped Silent Hill 2, claiming its spot as the second highest-selling title in the Silent Hill series, only bested by its original iteration. Meanwhile, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard entered the charts at number six, debuting just as the month ended, while being surpassed by Plaion’s Undisputed at number four and the RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio at number five.

Several other noteworthy games hustled their way onto the U.S. charts this month. The Final Fantasy I-VI Collection made an impressive leap from 90th to 19th, likely thanks to a discounted price on the Nintendo Switch, which was slashed from a steep $75 to about $55. Simultaneously, Sifu skyrocketed from 502nd to ninth on Xbox’s monthly active users list, all due to its availability on Xbox Game Pass.

When it comes to console sales, the results were less electrifying. Hardware sales dipped by 23% compared to the previous year, with the Switch dropping 38%, PS5 falling 20%, and Xbox Series decreasing 18%. PS5 maintained its crown as the top-selling console in both units and dollars, with Xbox in a close second, as the Switch approaches its twilight. In the accessories domain, the PlayStation Portal took the lead, and overall accessories spending climbed 15%. Black Friday deals are already underway, with Xbox offering plenty of bargains.

To wrap things up, here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for October based on dollar sales:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
3. Silent Hill 2
4. Undisputed
5. Metaphor: ReFantazio
6. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
7. Super Mario Party Jamboree!*
8. Madden NFL 25
9. Sonic X Shadow Generations
10. EA Sports FC 25
11. EA Sports College Football 25
12. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom*
13. Hogwarts Legacy
14. NHL 25
15. Astro Bot
16. Minecraft*
17. NBA 2K25
18. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
19. Final Fantasy I-VI Bundle
20. Elden Ring

*Note that some digital sales aren’t included in Circana’s reporting as publishers like Nintendo and Take-Two often withhold specific digital information.

Rebekah Valentine serves as a senior reporter for IGN. You can catch her on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. If you have a story tip, send it to [email protected].