Hogwarts Legacy is the first non-FIFA game to top UK’s annual charts since GTA 5

Hogwarts Legacy was the highest-selling physical video game in the UK in 2023, ending the FIFA series’ ten-year run of dominance.

The RPG set in the Harry Potter universe is the first game to achieve the feat since 2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5, reports GamesIndustry.biz.

Hogwarts Legacy’s strongest platform was the PlayStation 5, with PlayStation 4 coming in second. The third highest-selling platform for the game was Nintendo Switch, which is notable as the Nintendo Switch version of the game was released in November, with the PS5 and PS4 versions landing in February and May, respectively.

According to Gfk data, 12.76 million boxed video games were sold in the UK in 2023, accounting for a drop of nearly 5%.

As of November, Hogwarts Legacy was also tracking for an incredibly strong performance in the US, fighting neck and neck with November’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 for the year’s top spot.

Hogwarts Legacy takes place around 100 years prior to the events of the famous book series, thrusting players into the role of a new student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The game’s original release came amid significant controversy surrounding book author JK Rowling’s publicly-stated views on transgender rights.

Despite performing well, the game was boycotted by some Harry Potter fans due to public comments from Rowling perceived by many to be transphobic (for a full breakdown of the situation, we recommend this article by Glamour).

The game was comfortably Europe’s best-selling game in the first half of 2023, following its release on February 10.