Warner Bros’ controversial Harry Potter spin-off Hogwarts Legacy is the UK’s new no.1 in the physical retail chart. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise following reports of substantial pre-order figures. What is a surprise, however, is just how well it has performed.
GI.biz crunched the numbers, revealing that not only is it the fastest-selling Harry Potter release in the UK – beating 2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sales of which would have been completely physical– but sales were also 80% higher than Elden Ring, which is known to have had an impressive launch.
The bulk of Hogwarts Legacy’s sales were on PS5 – a resounding 82%, with the remaining 18% on Xbox Series. This is down to a combination of PlayStation exclusive content, and the fact that the digital only Xbox Series S has a far larger user base than the disc-based Xbox Series X. Remember, these are physical only sales we’re talking about. Digital sales will paint a different picture.
God of War Ragnarok held onto #2 while FIFA 23 fell to #3. Then at #4 it’s the evergreen Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for a second week running.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons took #5 – up six places. This is due to Tesco clearing out stock – numerous Switch games were half price last week. A handful of other Switch games have consequently risen or re-entered, including Mario Strikers: Battle League Football, and Mario Tennis Aces – back in at #17. Pokémon Shining Pearl resurfaced at #37 too.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II moved down to #6, EA’s Dead Space remake dropped four positions to #7, Nintendo Switch Sports took #8, Minecraft fell to #9, and then at #10 it’s New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe – another Tesco discount.
After arriving at #10 last week, SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake had a rough second week on sale, falling to #34. Fire Emblem Engage is also making a swift descent, falling from #16 to #31.
Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach was the UK top 40’s only other new arrival, with the belated Xbox Series version debuting at #36.