The UK Christmas chart always boils down to a battle between FIFA and Call of Duty. 2022 just so happens to be a FIFA year, something the World Cup no doubt played a key part in. FIFA 23 being available on Switch likely helped too.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II settles for #2 while God of War: Ragnarok – last week’s chart topper – falls to #3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe climbed to #4, also becoming the Switch’s festive no.1. Then at #5 it’s Pokémon Violet.
The rest of the top ten is quite Switch-centric, with Nintendo Switch Sports taking #6, Pokémon Scarlet holding onto #7.
At #8 there’s a new arrival – Square-Enix’s Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. This PSP remake also made #5 in the PS4 chart, #4 in the PS5 chart, and #7 in the Xbox Series chart. The Switch version failed to make the Switch top 20.
Minecraft on Switch claimed #9 in the top ten, with Just Dance 2023 rounding off the chart. Sonic Frontiers and Animal Crossing: New Horizons missed out on yuletide top ten placings.
Elsewhere, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has surged from #23 to #14 thanks to a price cut. It can currently be found for a very reasonable £29.99 on Amazon.
As for other recent releases, The Callisto Protocol fell from #12 to #17, while Need for Speed Unbound dropped from #19 to #28. Gotham Knights continued its descent too, going from #28 to #32. Marvel’s Midnight Suns has left the top 40 entirely.
At the lower end of the chart, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, It Takes Two, and Sonic Mania Plus made a comeback. We imagine all three have made their way to kid’s Christmas lists. Not a bad selection to find in a stocking at all.