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December NPD: PS4 leads the strongest month for new-gen consoles so far

The PlayStation 4 retook the top spot from Xbox One in December, but it was a month for celebration for everyone, as the NPD Group determined it to be the best month on record for both consoles.

Ozzie Mejia

January 14, 2016 3:55 PM

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It's time to step into a new year, but there's still a piece of business left to take care of for the old year. So just how were sales for the final month of 2015? The answer shouldn't surprise many, as the PlayStation 4 has retained the top spot, following a brief Xbox One victory in October.

However, there's something for everyone to be happy about in December, as this marked the best of month of unit sales to date for both PS4 and Xbox One. It was also the best month on record for physical software sales for both PS4 and Xbox One, as well as the second-best month for Wii U. Overall, December was the best month for the consoles' eight generation yet, beating out the record set in November..

Software releases were somewhat light in December, so that means Call of Duty: Black Ops III rules the day again. Meanwhile, Star Wars Battlefront has climbed up to overtake Fallout 4 for the runner-up spot, swapping spots with Bethesda's open-world adventure. Some trusty stalwarts round out the top five in the form of Madden and NBA 2K. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege was the sole newcomers for this month, with a 7th place finish. And interestingly, there's a Minecraft double feature near the tail end of the Top 10, with Minecraft at 8th and Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode at 9th.

December Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC; new releases in bold)

• Call of Duty: Black Ops III (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
• Star Wars Battlefront 2015 (XBO, PS4, PC)
• Fallout 4 (PS4, XBO, PC)
• Madden NFL 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
• NBA 2K16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
• Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (XBO, PS4, PC)
• Minecraft (360, XBO, PS4, PS3)
• Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Game Series (360, XBO, PS4, PS3)
• FIFA 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)

And finally, to round out the year, here are the NPD's Top 10 Games for 2015. (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC)

• Call of Duty: Black Ops III (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
• Madden NFL 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
• Fallout 4 (PS4, XBO, PC)
• Star Wars Battlefront 2015 (XBO, PS4, PC)
• Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
• NBA 2K16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
• Minecraft (360, XBO, PS3, PS4)
• Mortal Kombat X (PS4, XBO)
• FIFA 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?