10 games best selling in 2022 so far

2022 has been a phenomenal year for video game developers, with some games breaching the highest selling records multiple times in back-to-back months.

The year took off with a blast with the release of Nintendo’s Pokémon Legends Arceus in January. This was followed by the highly anticipated Elden Ring at the end of February. A couple weeks later, Sony launched Forbidden Horizon West. In March, Nintendo launched their new entrant, Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

All the above-mentioned games went on to be global best-sellers, with Pokémon Legends Arceus leading the highest-selling global charts for four consecutive months and Forbidden Horizon West leading the highest-selling charts in the USA in the PlayStation category.

According to a new report published by the marketing research group NPD, surprisingly, it is Elden Ring that tops the chart as the highest-selling game so far this year. NPD Group is one of the gaming industry’s most trusted sources for statistics regarding sales.

The report was published in mid-July as part of a half-yearly assessment of sales. Here are the rest of the games that made it to the top 10 highest-selling list.

Note: This article reflects the author's opinions.

Games that have already created an impact in 2022

10) Madden NFL 22

Developer: EA
Publisher: EA
Platforms available: PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X

The Madden NFL is a decade-and-a-half-long franchise that has launched many titles over the years. As part of their 33rd installment, Madden NFL 2022 was released in August 2021. For the first time since 2009, the NFL game features two quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady from Tampa Bay, in the cover image.

The game includes new features in staff management and an enhanced season engine, including a weekly strategy. Although released a year ago, the game is starting to crop up in the highest selling list of 2022 thanks to its robust fan-following.

However, the 2022 edition of the NFL has had its critics. Many have had issues with the game’s wonky mechanics, while others have complained about its underwhelming gameplay. Nonetheless, Madden NFL 2022 has somehow managed to crop up on the highest-selling game list of 2022.

9) Mario Kart 8

Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform available: Nintendo Switch

Released in 2017 on the Nintendo Switch, the fact that Mario Kart 8 still makes it to the list of the highest-selling games of 2022 is a testament to how popular the Mario Kart franchise is. It has been eight years, almost a decade since Mario Kart 8 was released in 2014. Even today, the game remains a yearly bestseller for Nintendo.

While Madden NFL 2022 making it to the list might come off as a surprise, but Mario Kart’s inclusion is a no-brainer. It is just a simple family-friendly console game, very easy to play and get the hang of. Moreover, the Mario Kart 8 team comes up with regular updates and monthly bundles to keep the game engaging enough.

8) Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform available: Nintendo Switch

Released in March 2022, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the 13th major title in the Kirby franchise. It is also the first Kirby title done in full 3D animation, and the game has turned out to be a major hit this year, with 2.1 million copies sold within the first two weeks of the launch itself.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land take users into a mysterious land full of abandoned structures that represent a past civilization. Cute little Kirby has to traverse the land using its superpower of inhaling real-world objects and transforming them into shootable weapons in the mouth. Similar to Mario Kart 8, Kirby and the Forgotten Lands is yet another casual, family-friendly game that is super fun and easy to play.

7) Gran Turismo 7

Developer: Polyphony Digital
Publisher: Sony
Platforms available: PS4/PS5

March 2022 also saw the return of classic cars and iconic tracks from the fan-favorite racing franchise, Gran Turismo. As the seventh edition, Gran Turismo 7 probably represents the pinnacle of the franchise with its appealing photo-realistic visuals.

Given the fact that it has been almost 10 years since the last Gran Turismo title, Gran Turismo 6 (2013), the build-up and anticipation around Gran Turismo 7 was huge. No wonder the game has managed to make it to the list of the highest-selling games of 2022.

Gran Turismo 7 also made a new record for the highest ever first month sold for the franchise.

6) Call of Duty: Vanguard

Developer: Sledgehammer Games
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Platforms available: PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X

It has been 10 months now since the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard in November 2021, and the game remains a bestseller more than halfway through 2022. That is the Call of Duty franchise for you.

Despite such a positive track record in sales records, critics have pointed out too many historical inaccuracies and a lack of new innovative gameplay elements.

No doubt Call of Duty: Vanguard is a commercial success, but the franchise seriously needs to take a break and come up with some fresh narrative instead of overcooking the same idea of recreating historically past or current conflict scenarios.

5) MLB The Show 22

Developer: San Diego Studios
Publisher: MLB Advanced Media, Sony, Cokem International
Platforms available: Xbox One/Series X, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PS

Launched in April 2022, the rise of MLB The Show 22 to the fifth spot has been quite dramatic in just four months. Like Madden NFL, this is yet another sports franchise that guarantees an entrant on the highest-selling game’s yearly lists.

MLB The Show 22 is the seventh rendition of the decade-old franchise, and upon release, many critics pointed out it to be the best recreation of American Baseball so far.

This is also one of the best Baseball games to climb on the bestselling list. This may be due to the fact that, for the first time in the franchise’s history, the game was available on Nintendo Switch as well, which opened up new avenues for sale.

4) Horizon Forbidden West

Developer: Guerilla Games
Publisher: Sony
Platforms available: PS5

Released in February 2022, Horizon Forbidden West is the second title of the action-adventure franchise Horizon West. Coming back after a gap of almost five years, the latest title, Horizon Forbidden West, broke all records in the PlayStation category. The game has been absolutely unmovable from the top spot all these months of the highest-selling PlayStation games.

With a larger open-world map, unrealistically beautiful graphics, and a compelling storyline set in the post-apocalyptic future, Forbidden Horizon West has been a revelation this year. Only available on PS5, the game still manages to be one of the top five highest-selling games of the year so far.

The sales of Horizon Forbidden West have been so massive this year that the number is still larger than all the other PlayStation games combined together.

3) Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform available: Nintendo Switch

2022 greeted the gaming community with Pokémon Legends: Arceus at the end of January. The long-awaited prequel to the all-time popular Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, this game had to break all records, and it did. The game remained the highest-selling for the first four months of 2022 straight.

By the beginning of July, the game had already sold more than 12 million copies. This is something that validates the fact that the Pokémon franchise will remain popular forever.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes players back in time to the early days of the colonization of Japan set in the Hisui region - the Sinnoh of old - and introduces the eighth generation of Pokémon.

2) LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Developer: TT Games, The Traveler’s Tales
Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive
Platforms available: PC/Steam, Xbox One

From LEGO Harry Potter to LEGO Lord of the Rings and LEGO Indiana Jones games, the LEGO franchise has always been a big hit. This year’s LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was no exception. Released in April 2022, the game quickly raked up sales, and overtook Pokémon Legends Arceus to take the number two spot.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a gigantic edition that brings together all the previous nine titles of the Star Wars games of the early and late 2000s everyone fell in love with into one LEGO bundle.

The sheer size and scope of these games are massive, and give players a taste of the nine Star Wars films in a fun and fulfilling way. An entire generation of gamers grew up playing the Star Wars games, and LEGO Star Wars remains a trending topic.

1) Elden Ring

Developer: FromSoftware Inc.
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platforms available: PC/Steam, PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X

Released in February 2022, Elden Ring is a role-playing action-adventure open-world title that has become the main talking point of the gaming community right now. The game tops the global charts with over 14 million copies sold in 2022.

Elden Ring lets players traverse a gorgeous fantasy world with their unique customizable characters, offering a wide variety of weapons to yield, magical abilities to master, and creatures to summon as they explore a non-linear open world.

The game offers plenty of fast-paced combat opportunities, combined with the option to play a stealth-based game. No wonder Elden Ring has become the trendiest game of 2022 so far. It is currently number one on the highest selling list, so players should expect it to remain on the spot.

10 highest-selling games of 2022 so far