After 'Failing to Meet Expectations' at Launch, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Shoots to No.3 in U.S. Charts With Steam Debut

January 2025 proved a relatively quiet month for the video game industry, mirroring the typical lull often seen at the start of the year. Only one new release, Donkey Kong Country: Returns, managed to crack the top 20 best-selling games, highlighting the continued dominance of established titles like Call of Duty. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth debuted at number two on Circana's US sales charts, but its performance subsequently declined, ending the year at number 17. This led to speculation regarding its commercial success, especially in comparison to other major RPG releases of 2024. Square Enix acknowledged the game fell short of its internal sales targets, further fueling the uncertainty surrounding its performance.

The game's initial PlayStation 5 exclusivity likely contributed to its sales challenges compared to multi-platform releases. However, the January 2025 Steam release marked a significant turning point. The game surged to number three on the Circana charts, a dramatic jump from its December position at number 56. The Final Fantasy VII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also experienced a considerable boost, rising from number 265 to number 16.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted the game's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the US, with the Twin Pack ranking third. While these figures represent only the US market, they suggest a similar positive trend globally, potentially influencing Square Enix's future strategies. Piscatella commented on the impact, stating that the Steam release demonstrates the strong market appeal of PC releases across various genres, regardless of historical release patterns. He further noted the increasing difficulty for third-party publishers to maintain platform exclusivity without substantial incentives from platform holders. Square Enix's official response will likely be revealed at their May earnings call.

Elsewhere on the charts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 retained their top positions. Donkey Kong Country: Returns, a new release, debuted at number eight, driven entirely by physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of eShop digital sales data. The reappearance of It Takes Two at number 20 is attributed to ongoing promotional efforts, particularly on the PlayStation Store and eShop, and a steady sales performance throughout January, building on momentum from December. This promotional push likely anticipates the March release of Hazelight Studios' next title, Split Fiction.

January 2025's overall game spending figures showed a decline compared to the previous year, partly due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five in 2024). Total spending fell 15% to $4.5 billion, with accessories, content, and hardware sales all experiencing significant year-over-year drops. Despite this, the PS5 remained the best-selling console 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. Some publishers, including Nintendo and Take-Two, do not share certain digital data for this report.