Circan’s November 2025 video game sales report has easily been one of the most anticipated. For one, November is always one of the most lucrative for the games industry, but this year in particular has seen several major hits – including new entries in two rival series.
We’re talking, of course, about Battlefield 6, and Black Ops 7 the latest releases in their respective multiplayer shooter series. The decades-old fight to claim the top spot has long been won by Call of Duty, but the latest Battlefield has achieved what many thought was impossible.
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Cricana’s report covers spending on video game software, hardware, and accessories in the U.S. November 2025 saw spending fall by 4% compared to November 2024, bringing in a total of $5.9 billion.
Software technically saw growth during the month, but declines in hardware, and accessories were mainly responsible for the drop in overall spending. Black Ops 7 continued Call of Duty’s 18-Year Streak in topping sales in its launch month.
However, this year’s game did not also top the year-to-date charts, something the series has done consistently, and more than any other top-selling game each year – with rare exceptions. Battlefield 6 is firmly in the lead there, cementing its claim as 2025’s best-selling title. Black Ops 7, fittingly, occupies in the #7 spot there.
Image credit: Activision, Treyarch.
Separately from the best-selling game title fight, November has actually been one of the worst for the industry in terms of hardware sales. The report notes that the three major platform holders – Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have all seen their hardware sales decline.
Spending on hardware during November amounted to only $695 million, a massive 27% decline compared to November 2024. According to the report, that’s the worst dollar amount total for any November since 2005, when it comes to hardware specifically. All three current-gen consoles totaled 1.6 million units sold, which Circana also notes is the lowest for any November since 1995.
This all doesn’t bode especially well for the industry. November has always been a key holiday shopping month, but it’s clear the constantly rising console prices – and already high game prices – have had a big impact.
