Call of Duty Dominates 30 Years of PlayStation Sales

Sony’s PlayStation brand celebrates its 30th anniversary in North America. New data reveals a surprising trend in the platform’s all-time best-selling games. Nearly half of the top-selling titles are from the Call of Duty franchise.

The sales data was compiled by Circana, a leading market research firm. It tracks game sales in the United States from the original PlayStation’s 1995 launch through July 2025. The findings highlight a clear consumer preference for the blockbuster shooter series.

Call of Duty Claims Eleven Spots in Top 20 by Revenue

According to Circana executive director Mat Piscatella, Call of Duty’s commercial power is staggering. When ranked by dollar sales, eleven of the top twenty games are from the franchise. This includes recent entries like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Grand Theft Auto V holds the number one position for both revenue and units sold. Other non-Call of Duty titles in the revenue top five include Red Dead Redemption 2. The data shows consistent high spending on the annualized series.

Only a few first-party PlayStation Studios games cracked the list. Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man series appeared on the dollar sales chart. Their success underscores the value of Sony’s popular exclusive superhero titles.

Units Sold Chart Tells a Similar Story

The ranking by pure units sold shows slightly more variety. Call of Duty games occupy nine spots in the top twenty. Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas also feature prominently on this list.

First-party titles like God of War (2018) and The Last of Us appear here. Their presence indicates strong player adoption beyond just high revenue generation. These games are considered system-sellers for PlayStation consoles.

An interesting entry is Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. It placed tenth in dollar sales, likely boosted by bundled instrument peripheral costs. This reflects a different era of gaming consumer habits.

The data provides a clear snapshot of US gaming tastes over three decades. It demonstrates the undeniable and sustained drawing power of the Call of Duty franchise. This is true even on a platform known for its iconic exclusive single-player experiences.

The 30th anniversary milestone offers a fascinating look at what drives the PlayStation business. The consistent performance of Call of Duty titles is a defining feature of the platform’s history in the American market.

Info at your fingertips

Q1: Which game is the best-selling on PlayStation in the US?

Grand Theft Auto V is the best-selling game on PlayStation in the US by both dollar sales and number of units sold. It has maintained this top position for years.

Q2: How many first-party PlayStation games are in the top 20?

Very few first-party games made the list. Only titles from the Marvel’s Spider-Man series, God of War, and The Last of Us appeared in the top 20 rankings.

Q3: Why is Guitar Hero III on the dollar sales list?

Guitar Hero III is high on the dollar sales chart because its revenue includes the cost of the required plastic guitar controller. The bundle was very popular during the game’s peak.

Q4: What does this data say about player preferences?

The data shows a strong American preference for major third-party action and shooter franchises like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto over many exclusive titles.

Q5: Who compiled this sales data?

The sales data was compiled and shared by Mat Piscatella, the executive director of the market research firm Circana. The firm tracks US video game sales.

Trusted Sources: Circana, Sony Interactive Entertainment.