In a stunning launch last month, Assassin's Creed Shadows has claimed the title of the best-selling game in the U.S. for March 2025, generating impressive dollar sales.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shared insights into the game's remarkable success, noting that Shadows debuted as the third-largest launch in the franchise's history in the U.S., falling only behind Assassin's Creed 3 and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. "It's an exciting start. Let's see how it continues to perform," Piscatella stated.

This surge in success coincides with Ubisoft's strategic move to establish a subsidiary focused on its blockbuster franchises like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, backed by a massive investment of €1.16 billion (approx. $1.25 billion) from Tencent, a major Chinese conglomerate.

In a testament to its popularity, Assassin's Creed Shadows has rapidly crossed the 3 million player mark. This success is particularly crucial for Ubisoft, which has faced several setbacks, including disappointing game launches and significant layoffs, leaving fans anxious for the company's turnaround.

According to internal reports, Shadows’ opening weekend performance outshined previous titles such as Origins and Odyssey, although it fell short of the 'perfect storm' that Valhalla experienced upon its release.

Shadows not only achieved the second-highest day-one revenue in franchise history behind Valhalla, but it also became Ubisoft's biggest day-one title on the PlayStation Store, with players logging over 40 million hours since its release.

March witnessed an influx of new games as seven newcomers joined the top 20 list, with MLB: The Show 25 making a strong debut as the second best-seller, surpassing last year’s installment by 23%.

Other new entries included WWE 2K24 and Split Fiction, while classics like Fortnite continued to dominate in terms of monthly active users across platforms.

Despite Shadows' triumph, overall gaming spending dropped 6% year-over-year to $4.7 billion. This decrease has been largely attributed to a downturn in mobile gaming, significantly impacting the overall market.

Hardware sales also reflected a decline, with March 2025 recording the lowest spending since 2019. The PlayStation 5 remained the best-selling console, despite a 26% drop from last year.

Here's a look at March 2025's Top 20 Best-Selling Games:

March 2025 U.S. Top 20 Best-Selling Games

1. Assassin's Creed: Shadows (NEW) 2. MLB: The Show 25* (NEW) 3. Monster Hunter: Wilds 4. WWE 2K25 (NEW) 5. Split Fiction (NEW) 6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 7. PGA Tour 2K25 8. NBA 2K25 9. Bleach: Rebirth of Souls (NEW) 10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II 11. Minecraft* 12. Grand Theft Auto V 13. EA Sports FC 25 14. Red Dead Redemption II 15. Madden NFL 25 16. Elden Ring 17. Xenoblade Chronicles X* (NEW) 18. Suikoden I & II Remaster: Gate Rune & Dunan Unification Wars (NEW) 19. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 20. EA Sports College Football 25 * Note: Some digital sales may not be included.