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

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

Author : Joshua Update : Mar 06,2025

January 2025's video game sales showed a relatively quiet month, mirroring typical trends. Call of Duty dominated, with only one new release cracking the top 20. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted strongly but later saw its sales performance questioned. While its initial sales were respectable, they reportedly fell short of Square Enix's expectations, leading to speculation about its commercial success compared to other major RPGs. The lack of official sales figures further fueled this uncertainty.

The game's initial PS5 exclusivity likely hindered its sales potential. However, its January 2025 release on Steam dramatically boosted its performance, catapulting it to No. 3 on the Circana charts (from No. 56 in December). The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a significant jump, moving from No. 265 to No. 16. Analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted Rebirth's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game for the week ending January 25th in the US.

This success, potentially mirroring global trends, could significantly impact Square Enix's future strategies, potentially leading to cross-platform releases for future Final Fantasy titles. Piscatella commented on the broader implications, stating that releasing exclusively on a single platform is increasingly challenging for third-party publishers without substantial platform-holder incentives.

Elsewhere on the charts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 maintained their top positions. Donkey Kong Country: Returns (Switch) was the only new entry in the top 20, reaching No. 8 based solely on physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of digital sales data. It Takes Two's return to the top 20 (No. 20) is attributed to ongoing promotions, particularly in late January, and consistent sales throughout the month. This promotion likely anticipates the March release of Hazelight Studios' next title, Split Fiction.

January 2025's overall game spending was down 15% year-over-year ($4.5 billion), partially due to a shorter tracking period (four weeks versus five in 2024). Accessories, content, and hardware spending also saw significant declines. Despite this, PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both units and dollar sales.

Top 20 Best-Selling Games (US, January 2025, by dollar sales):