Despite being free-to-play, MultiVersus was the highest-grossing game for July 2022 according to the latest NPD sales report. According to the data, the dollar sales were driven by sales of the game’s Founder’s Packs, which give players access to character tickets, in-game currency, and other cosmetic items.
The success isn’t necessarily a surprise, following MultiVersus’ enormous beta launch that saw a peak of over 140,000 concurrent players. In early August, before the game even left beta, MultiVersus passed the 10 million player mark.
MultiVersus is a free-to-play crossover platform fighter in the vein of Super Smash Bros. and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. It features characters from across Warner Bros. slate of IP, including representatives from DC, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, and more. Season One is now underway, and includes the addition of Morty from Rick and Morty. DC’s Black Adam and Stripe the Gremlin are also apparently on the way to the game.
Elsewhere in NPD’s July 2022 report, Switch-exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles 3 debuted as the top-selling game on Nintendo’s hardware for the month. The game reached #4 overall, trailing MultiVersus, Elden Ring, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Live A Live, Square Enix’s Switch-exclusive remake of the 1990s JRPG, debuted at #8 on the Nintendo Switch sales chart, failing to crack the top 20 overall. However, as always, it’s worth noting that Nintendo eShop sales data is not included in NPD’s rankings.
Elden Ring still held on as the second-best selling game of July. The game continues to be a smash hit, recently passing 16 million sales. The full lists of July 2022’s best-selling games and 2022 YTD’s best-selling games are listed below.
July 2022’s Best-Selling Games
- MultiVersus
- Elden Ring
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- MLB: The Show 22
- Mario Kart 8
- Digimon Survive
- Minecraft
- F1 22
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Overwatch
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Far Cry 6
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III
- Monster Hunter: Rise
2022 YTD Best-Selling Games
- Elden Ring
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Horizon II: Forbidden West
- MLB: The Show 22
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Gran Turismo 7
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land
- Mario Kart 8
- Madden NFL 22
- Minecraft
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- FIFA 22
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Monster Hunter: Rise
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Mario Party Superstars
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Overall spending in the video game industry is down 9% compared to July 2021. Year-to-date spending has reached $30.5 billion, a 10% decline from last year. The PlayStation 5 led the market in hardware spending last month, but the Nintendo Switch sold the most units.
For more, check out why MultiVersus’ big success has some of us thinking that now is the best time to get into fighting games.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.