Battlefield outsold Call of Duty for the first time ever last year, with Black Ops 7 falling to fifth place

The Electronic Arts shooter claimed the top spot for 2025 across Circana’s monitored platforms, leading sales on Xbox and combined PC storefronts while securing second place on PlayStation behind NBA 2K26.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 landed in fifth position, trailing Battlefield, NBA 2K26, Borderlands 4, and Monster Hunter: Wilds.

Context matters: Black Ops 7 launched within Xbox Game Pass while Battlefield did not, and EA’s title also hit shelves roughly six weeks ahead of its competitor.

Nevertheless, this represents a historic reversal for the Battlefield franchise, which has never previously outsold Call of Duty across a full calendar year. Black Ops 7’s fifth-place finish marks the weakest performance for a Call of Duty title in nearly two decades—not since Call of Duty: World at War placed sixth in 2008 during the Wii’s dominance.

Throughout the intervening years, CoD has consistently topped US sales charts, yielding only to Rockstar blockbusters like GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2, plus Hogwarts Legacy in 2023.

On PlayStation specifically, Black Ops 7 ranked fourth, following NBA 2K26, Battlefield 6, and Ghost of Yotei.

The competing shooter series experienced contrasting fortunes in 2025. Following extensive development restructuring, Battlefield 6 achieved the franchise’s biggest debut according to EA, selling over 7 million units within its opening 72 hours.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s launch figures plummeted over 60% in certain regions compared to its predecessor. The title faced heightened rivalry from Battlefield alongside lukewarm critical reception.

The previous year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 became the franchise’s first simultaneous Game Pass release. While Microsoft touted it as the series’ largest player launch, the game experienced a steeper-than-normal post-release dropoff.