Blimey! *Star Wars: Battlefront 2* Just Force-Pushed its Way Back Into the Charts (Thanks, Andor!)
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
*Star Wars: Battlefront 2* saw a huge sales spike in May, riding the coattails of *Andor*'s popularity, while *Elden Ring: Nightreign* and *Doom: The Dark Ages* topped the charts as new releases. Seems nostalgia and new blood can both find a place in the gaming market.
Alright, so *Star Wars: Battlefront 2*, that shooter from way back in 2017, has pulled a sneaky maneuver and jumped all the way up to 12th best-selling game in the US for May. That's according to the number crunchers over at Circana, who also pointed out it was languishing down at number 135 the month before. Bloody hell, talk about a glow-up!
What's the story, eh? Well, it seems the space wizards over at Disney managed to work some kind of Jedi mind trick, piggybacking on the popularity of the *Andor* series. Word is that even Ben Amor, who starred in the show, was cheerleading for a *Battlefront 3* on social media. Can't say I blame him; who *wouldn't* want another crack at that iconic battlefield?
Circana's Mat Piscatella confirmed to IGN that the game's player count started surging around the 20th anniversary of *Revenge of the Sith*, and then it really took off with *Andor*. Makes you wonder what other gaming gems are just waiting for a bit of a nostalgia boost. He added that player count peaked in the week of May 25th, and there was even another little bump in mid to late June when the game went on sale. Sneaky, very sneaky.
Now, while *Battlefront 2* was busy staging its comeback, *Elden Ring: Nightreign* debuted at the top spot, proving that everyone still loves a good challenge. Apparently, it's already the 11th best-selling game of 2025, dominating the charts on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Not bad for a newcomer! Of course, Piscatella pointed out that comparing the sales of *Nightreign* to the original *Elden Ring* is like comparing a lightsaber to a thermal detonator - different beasts entirely. Still, impressive numbers all around.
But wait, there's more! *Doom: The Dark Ages* also burst onto the scene at number 2, becoming the 16th best-selling game of 2025. While it didn't quite hit the sales highs of *Doom: Eternal* (which, let's be honest, launched at a *very* unique time in March 2020), Piscatella reckons it's just a matter of timing. Fair dinkum, I reckon.
Couple of other newbies made the list too: *F1 25* and *Capcom Fighting Collection 2* popped up at numbers 15 and 19, respectively. Always good to see some fresh blood in the charts!
Overall, spending on video game content was up 2% year-on-year to a tidy $3.7 billion, mostly thanks to those subscription services. Seems like everyone's happy to pay a bit extra for that sweet, sweet content. On the hardware side, things were a bit quieter, with spending down 13% to $172 million. Nintendo Switch sales took a bit of a dive (down 44%), Xbox Series also dropped (30%), but PlayStation managed to grow by 3%. PS5 remains the top dog, both in terms of units sold and dollar sales. But, with the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, that landscape is sure to change! The report claims video game spending overall was up 1% year-over-year to $4.1 billion.
So, there you have it. *Star Wars: Battlefront 2* making a surprise return, *Elden Ring* continuing its reign, and the gaming industry as a whole ticking along nicely. What will next month bring? Only time will tell, mate. Only time will tell.
Tags: Star Wars Battlefront 2, Elden Ring, Gaming Sales, Andor, Circana
Original article: IGN South Africa