FIFA 20 Tops UK Charts on Debut, Becomes Biggest Release of the Year

Yearly FIFA games end up being among the biggest releases in the UK every year, and FIFA 20 hasn’t broken the mould. FIFA 20 has, to no one’s surprise, topped the UK sales charts on its debut, as per data provided by UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track (via GamesIndustry), with the PS4 version accounting for 61 per cent sales, and 38 per cent sales coming on the Xbox One (the Legacy Edition release on the Switch sees just 1 per cent of the share).

Physical launch sales for FIFA 20 are down year-on-year by 7 per cent as compared to FIFA 19’s launch. Retail launch sales for the PS4 version of the game saw a dip, but the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions both saw an increase in that area. On the whole, FIFA 20 still becomes the biggest release of the year. In fact, the sport simulation title’s release has had a positive impact in other areas as well.

Several retailers in the UK were selling an Xbox One S All-Digital Edition packaged with codes for FIFA 20, Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3. Thanks to FIFA 20, the Xbox One has seen a bump in hardware sales, while each of those other three games also saw in increase in sales. Minecraft saw a 197 per cent increase, Sea of Thieves saw a 199 per cent increase, while Forza Horizon 3 saw a 183 per cent increase, and all three of them also managed to find their way into the top 10 this week. 

Other older titles have also seen an increase in sales. Gears 5, holding steady in fourth place, saw a 70 per cent increase in sales, while The Division 2 enjoyed a 53 per cent bump, with both games benefitting from hardware bundles. Meanwhile, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled at fifth place and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at eighth place also saw sales bumps of 74 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. 

All in all, boxed video game sales in the UK saw a huge bump this week with a 285 per cent week-on-week increase, and a total of 816,985 games sold at retail. However, as GamesIndustry points out, year-to-date boxed sales are still down by 15.5 per cent, and the fact that FIFA 18 all by itself sold that much goes to show just how rapidly boxed sales are declining, as digital continues to take over. 

Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which debuted on top of the charts last week, has been pushed down to second place thanks to FIFA 20. There were also a few new releases last week, none of which managed to break into the top 10. Dragon Quest 11 S on the Switch debuted at No. 11, selling half as much as the game’s PS4 release last year. Code Vein debuted at No. 13, while The Surge 2 had a lacklustre performance, with a debut at No. 35.

You can check out the full top 10 for the week ending September 28 below.

1. FIFA 20
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
3. Borderlands 3
4. Gears 5
5. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
6. The Division 2
7. Sea of Thieves
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
9. Minecraft: Xbox Edition
10. Forza Horizon 3