'Animal Crossing' and the latest 'Call of Duty' dominated March as game sales spiked while millions sheltered at home

Ben GilbertApr 22, 2020, 03:29 IST

"Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is the latest smash-hit game for Nintendo's Switch."Animal Crossing New Horizons"/Nintendo

Video game consoles and games were in especially high demand in March, as the coronavirus pandemic forced millions of Americans to stay indoors.
Sales of "video game hardware, software, accessories, and game cards" topped $1.6 billion for the month, according to The NPD Group's monthly report — the biggest March for the game business in over a decade.
Nintendo was the big winner, with its Switch console and "Animal Crossing" game topping the charts.
The Switch outsold the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and "Animal Crossing" joined "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" at the top of the 20 best-selling games list.
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Starting in March, millions of Americans were forced indoors by the coronavirus pandemic as shelter in place orders took place and social distancing was encouraged.

Unsurprisingly, at the same time, video game hardware and software sales skyrocketed. Millions of people, many with young children, suddenly needed ways to occupy vast quantities of time at home.

As such, Nintendo's Switch has been outright sold out. The company's latest major game, "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is outright having a moment. And the latest "Call of Duty" is more popular than ever — despite having launched months ago.

Though "Animal Crossing" and "Call of Duty" lead the pack, March's top 20 best-selling games list offers a fascinating look into what games people are playing in quarantine — here's the full list:

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20. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered"

Activision

Release date: March 31, 2020 (Xbox One and PC version scheduled to arrive on April 30)

Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC

Release date: March 31, 2020 (Xbox One and PC version scheduled to arrive on April 30)

Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC

19." Mortal Kombat 11"

"Mortal Kombat 11"/NetherRealm Studios

Release date: April 23, 2019

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia

18. "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order"

EA/Respawn Entertainment

Release date: November 15, 2019

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

17. "Just Dance 2020"

Just Dance 2020/Ubisoft

Release date: November 5, 2019

Platform(s): Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Google Stadia

16. "Madden NFL 20"

Release date: August 2, 2019

Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC

15. "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX"

Nintendo

Release date: March 6, 2020

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

14. "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate"

Nintendo

Release date: December 7, 2018

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

13. "FIFA 20"

"FIFA 20"/Electronic Arts

Release date: September 6, 2019

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia

12. "Red Dead Redemption 2"

Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive

Release date: October 26, 2018

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Google Stadia, and PC

11. "Nioh 2"

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Release date: March 13, 2020

Platform(s): PlayStation 4

10. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"

Nintendo

Release date: April 28, 2017

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

9. "Borderlands 3"

"Borderlands 3"/Gearbox Software

Release date: September 13, 2019

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, MacOS, and Google Stadia

8. "Grand Theft Auto V"

Rockstar Games

Release date: September 17, 2013

Platform(s): Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC

7. "Persona 5: Royal"

Atlus

Release date: March 31, 2020

Platform(s): PlayStation 4

6. "DOOM Eternal"

id Software/Bethesda Softworks

Release date: March 20, 2020

Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia

5. "NBA 2K20"

"NBA 2K20"/Take Two Interactive

Release date: September 6, 2019

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC

4. "Resident Evil 3"

"Resident Evil 3" / Capcom

Release date: April 3, 2020

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

3. "MLB The Show 20"

Sony

Release date: March 17, 2020

Platform(s): PlayStation 4

2. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare"

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare"/Activision

Release date: October 25, 2019

Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC

1. "Animal Crossing: New Horizons"

"Animal Crossing: New Horizons"/Nintendo

Release date: March 20, 2020

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Notably, this list is compiled by The NPD Group and includes sales data from March 1, 2020 through April 5, 2020. In some cases — like "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" — data for online sales isn't available.

Release date: March 20, 2020

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Notably, this list is compiled by The NPD Group and includes sales data from March 1, 2020 through April 5, 2020. In some cases — like Animal Crossing: New Horizons — data for online sales isn't available.

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'Animal Crossing' and the latest 'Call of Duty' dominated March as game sales spiked while millions sheltered at home

20. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered"

19." Mortal Kombat 11"

18. "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order"

17. "Just Dance 2020"

16. "Madden NFL 20"

15. "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX"

14. "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate"

13. "FIFA 20"

12. "Red Dead Redemption 2"

11. "Nioh 2"

10. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"

9. "Borderlands 3"

8. "Grand Theft Auto V"

7. "Persona 5: Royal"

6. "DOOM Eternal"

5. "NBA 2K20"

4. "Resident Evil 3"

3. "MLB The Show 20"

2. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare"

1. "Animal Crossing: New Horizons"