Elden Ring predicted to be best-selling game of 2022, beating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

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An analyst believes Elden Ring will be the best-selling game in the U.S. for the whole of 2022.

As reported yesterday on July 6 by GamesIndustry.biz, the NPD Group's Mat Piscatella believes Elden Ring will beat out every other launch this year to be the best-selling game of 2022. That's for the US only, however, which the NPD Group specifically covers. 

If Piscatella is correct, as GamesIndustry.biz notes, this would mark just the third time since 2009 that a Call of Duty title wouldn't take the title. That's an absolutely staggering feat, when you think about it, and means in 14 years, a Call of Duty title has been the best-selling game in the U.S. for 12 of them.

In fact, the only two other times Call of Duty has been beaten in those 14 years have both been from Rockstar games. The first came in 2013 when juggernaut Grant Theft Auto 5 released (and would become one of the most successful video games ever), and the second time came five years later in 2018 with the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2.

If you've been keeping track of Elden Ring's sales so far, you'll know it's been a historic success for developer FromSoftware. Elden Ring managed to sell over 13.4 million copies as of May 2022, meaning if you look at sales figures from the 12 months prior, it actually already outsold Call of Duty: Vanguard, which proved to be a sales disappointment for publisher Activision.

Therefore, it's actually not that hard to imagine Elden Ring beating out 2022's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (which launches in October), for the best-selling game of 2022. After all, it's already surpassed Call of Duty: Vanguard in sales.

If you're still playing FromSoftware's fantastic new adventure, head over to our guide on where to find Elden Ring Golden Seeds and make your journey that bit easier. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.