Modern Warfare 3 tops the UK physical charts, but sales are down 25% compared to MW2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has topped the UK physical game charts, but it’s failed to hit the launch weekend sales numbers that its predecessor did.

According to GfK chart data (via GamesIndustry.biz), Activsion’s latest FPS went straight into the charts at number one, but physical sales were down 25% compared to those of Modern Warfare 2 last year.

The game is currently on track to be the lowest-rated entry in the series, with early Metacritic scores from both critics and users coming in much lower than usual.

On X (formerly Twitter), GI.Biz head Christopher Dring pointed out that 72% of Modern Warfare 3 launch sales were on PS5, with 20% on Xbox and 8% on PS4. “Obviously, digital data will change all this,” he notes.

Elsewhere in the charts, EA Sports FC holds firm at the number 2 slot it occupied last week, while Super Mario Bros Wonder – which had been number one for the past two weeks – has now dropped to number 3.

Spider-Man 2 has slipped down from third to fourth place, while the Top 10’s other new entry, Football Manager 2024, comes in at number 5.

As ever, it should be noted that these are physical game charts, meaning digital sales aren’t taken into account. Given how few physical PC games are sold now, for example, the vast majority of Football Manager 2024’s sales are likely to have been digital.

The only other new physical entry entering the charts this week is Disney Dreamlight Valley, which came in at number 32. The game was orginally supposed to go free-to-play until Gameloft decided to keep it as a premium product and release it physically.