Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is about to leave Vanguard in the dust
Modern Warfare 2 is already on the verge of outselling its predecessor
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Retail Warfare 2
🥳 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a smash hit
😲 The recently released FPS is already on the verge of overtaking the lifetime sales of Call of Duty: Vanguard
💰 It’s the third best-selling game of the year in Europe
📈 Upcoming updates and releases will only prolong the game’s life
Only two weeks after launch, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has nearly eclipsed the lifetime sales of Call of Duty: Vanguard.
That’s according to video games sales chart GSD, which also noted Modern Warfare 2 was Europe’s best-selling game of last month despite only releasing on October 28 (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz).
Its first-week sales were a staggering 125% larger than Vanguard’s, already putting it on the brink of outselling last year’s mainline Call of Duty release. It’s currently the third best-selling game of the year, and is expected to overtake Vanguard’s lifetime sales by next week. It didn’t make it onto our pick of the best PS5 games or the best Xbox Series X games, but there’s no denying Modern Warfare 2 has been a huge win for Activision.
Sitting just behind it in the weekly sales chart is FIFA 23, while Grand Theft Auto 5 rocked in at third place. Nearly 10 years after its original release, Rockstar’s crime-’em-up continues to dominate the gaming world.
The data also revealed that the PS5 was the best-selling console of the month, just ahead of the Nintendo Switch. If you’re still struggling to get your hands on Sony’s flagship console, keep your eyes on our PS5 restock page where Matt has the lowdown on all the latest stock changes.
Although GSD’s sales data is collected exclusively from Europe, we can expect a similar trend in North America. Activision has already said Modern Warfare 2 had the biggest-selling Call of Duty launch in series history, and given the praise it received from critics and fans, it’s a little unsurprising that it’s left the middling Vanguard in the dust.
More content is on the way, too. Modern Warfare 2’s ranked mode is set to arrive sometime in 2023 and will keep the competitive wing of its audience occupied. Plus, next year’s main, premium Call of Duty release is rumored to be an expansion to Modern Warfare 2, extending its lifespan for even longer.
Before that, its first season of multiplayer content will roll out on November 16 alongside the launch of Warzone 2.0. There are big changes coming to both games’ battle pass system, which will likely retain players for even longer. Not bad for a game whose disc is little more than a glorified coaster.