8 Games That Quietly Outsold the Best Reviewed Games of 2025

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With 2025 drawing to a close, it’s a good time to celebrate the most popular and highly-rated games of the year.

As a huge gaming fan, I was so excited when things kicked off with Monster Hunter Wilds and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! That momentum just kept going all summer, especially when the new Nintendo Switch 2 dropped with awesome games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. It was an incredible time to be a gamer!

Independent games also saw a lot of success this year, with standout titles including Hollow Knight: Silksong, Megabonk, Ball x Pit, and Arc Raiders.

Interestingly, Circana’s sales data for 2025 shows that only one of these games achieved bestseller status.

So then, which games have quietly outsold the biggest titles of 2025? Let’s find out.

This list isn’t just for games coming out in 2025. Many of the most popular games of that year will be titles released in previous years.

8. Civilization 7

It Turns Out People Are Indeed Taking Just One More Turn

I know most people didn’t love Civilization 7 when it first came out, but I still believe it has potential. I think there’s a really good game buried inside, even if it’s not fully realized yet.

Firaxis is clearly working hard to keep players engaged, and they really need to. Right now, many gamers are still enjoying Civilization 6 and Civilization 5.

Even though fans haven’t loved it, Civilization 7 is still selling very well this year. It’s a bit puzzling, but considering how long fans had waited for a new game in the series, maybe it’s not so unexpected.

It’s become a running joke that new Civilization games have rocky starts, but eventually become great – so good, in fact, that we pretend they were always that way. Whether Civilization 7 will follow this pattern remains to be seen, but despite what you might read online, a lot of dedicated people are clearly working hard on it.

7. NBA 2K25

The One Where Luka Is Still On The Mavs

It makes sense that NBA 2K is a top-selling game – it’s widely considered one of the greatest sports video game series ever made. In fact, I’d be shocked if it wasn’t doing well.

…wait, we’re talking about last year’s game? Now that’s surprising.

There’s speculation that a group of Dallas Mavericks fans are purchasing tickets with the intention of forcing the team to fire General Manager Nico Harrison before he potentially trades Luka Doncic. (Note: Harrison has since been fired.)

It could be that people are using Christmas money they received to make purchases after the holidays. Regardless, it shows how well-loved the 2K series still is, despite some players being unhappy with recent changes.

To be honest, it’s not surprising if people think NBA 2K26 isn’t worth the price. I don’t have a solution, and I’m not sure why it’s happening.

6. Minecraft

It’s Printing Money!

This game is just a permanent bestseller, I guess. The movie surely helped, too, I imagine.

However, let’s consider this: the movie is made for people who already love the Minecraft game. And honestly, at this point, who hasn’t heard of or tried Minecraft?

Are parents consistently buying iPads and Minecraft for young children so they can play with their friends? Has this group of young players become large enough to significantly impact the game?

Minecraft is the best-selling video game ever, with over 350 million copies sold – that’s more people than live in the United States! It’s amazing, really – it seems like everyone already owns it.

5. Forza Horizon 5

One Of The Best Racing Games, Now On PS5!

I was really pleased to see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still selling so well in 2024. It’s amazing that a game released back in 2017 is still so popular!

Okay, so the last Mario Kart, Mario Kart World, wasn’t a huge sales leader overall in 2025. But honestly, it feels like almost everyone who got the new Switch 2 grabbed the bundle that included it, so it’s hard to read too much into the numbers. It was basically a must-have for new console owners!

So, how does this relate to Forza Horizon 5, another fantastic racing game? Its recent release on PlayStation 5 has caused a big jump in sales, comparable to the long-term success of Mario Kart 8.

Many people are rightly critical of Microsoft’s decision to release its games on platforms other than their own, but the popularity of Forza Horizon 5 shows this approach is having some positive results.

4. Madden NFL 26

It’s In The Game

This year’s version of Madden isn’t a good game. I should know because I reviewed it.

My friend Ethan said there isn’t much that’s changed or exciting in this game lately. That makes me wonder why I still bother playing it sometimes.

Am I really hooked on football? I’m actually writing this right now while watching a terrible Monday Night Football game between the Packers and Eagles. And it’s happening right after I suffered through an even worse Thursday Night Football game featuring the Broncos and Raiders.

I definitely wasn’t alone watching those games, and I’m certainly not the only one playing Madden this year. Ultimately, it’s still football, and even when it’s not great, a lot of us still enjoy it.

3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Nearly 20 Years Old And Still Iconic

Before Expedition 33 launched, there were worries that the surprise release of Oblivion Remastered would overshadow it.

Looking back, it wasn’t so strange that both games did well. While Oblivion Remastered was a strong seller in April, ranking third overall, Expedition 33 really took off, selling 5 million copies by October.

It’s unfair to say Expedition 33’s sales were only affected by being on Game Pass, since Oblivion Remastered was also available there, and both games cost about the same. Plus, everyone was talking about how great Expedition 33 was, while Oblivion Remastered didn’t get much attention at all.

It turns out that everyone was too busy playing Oblivion to talk about it.

2. College Football 26

A National Champion

EA Sports’ college football game made a fantastic comeback in 2024, and it exceeded expectations. It’s rare for a game to truly live up to the hype, but College Football 25 absolutely did. I can’t get the energetic drumline music out of my head, even when I’m focused on finding new players to recruit!

Honestly, the new release didn’t make much of a splash this year, and I think there are a couple of reasons why. First, it just wasn’t that amazing, to be frank. But more than that, I realized a lot of us are still hooked on last year’s game! I was, anyway – I hadn’t even gotten around to the new one yet.

The popularity of college football is clear: even with some early issues, College Football 26 is still selling better than many major games this year. If EA Sports can improve the game next year, it could become the best-selling game of 2026. For now, however, another sports title holds that title.

1. NBA 2K26

Swish

It’s likely Call of Duty will become the best-selling game by the year’s end, but it’s not a certainty. NBA 2K25 is currently earning more revenue than many other popular titles released this year.

Like I’ve mentioned previously, this is typical for sports games. Even with their imperfections, they consistently attract a dedicated and loyal following year after year.

Even with some current issues, NBA 2K is still one of the best-selling sports games available. Considering how popular football and soccer are, that’s quite an accomplishment.

NBA 2K26, similar to last year’s game, has gotten a mixed reaction from players. However, it would take some significant errors from the developers, Visual Concepts and 2K, to really discourage fans, especially with the long-term partnership between the NBA and 2K continuing for the foreseeable future.

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2025-11-12 01:42