Call of Duty’s stranglehold on the first-person shooter market just hit an almost unbelievable milestone. No other shooter franchise has outsold Call of Duty in the United States since 2006. That’s 19 consecutive years of dominance in one of gaming’s most competitive genres. While other games have occasionally beaten Call of Duty for overall best-selling game of the year, no competing shooter has managed to topple the juggernaut when going head-to-head in the FPS category.
The Numbers Tell an Incredible Story
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 became the best-selling game in the US for 2024, reclaiming the crown after Hogwarts Legacy took the top spot in 2023. This marks the 16th consecutive year that Call of Duty has been the best-selling franchise overall. But the shooter-specific statistic is even more impressive. Since 2006, no Battlefield, Halo, Destiny, or any other FPS has managed to outsell that year’s Call of Duty release in the American market.
The franchise has been one of the top two best-selling games every year since 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. In some years, Call of Duty occupied both the number one and number two spots on the annual sales charts. For example, in 2020, both Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare claimed the top two positions, with Modern Warfare benefiting from the surge in Warzone’s popularity.
Recent Competition Tried and Failed
Black Ops 6 topped November 2024 sales charts and became the second best-selling game of the year, only trailing EA Sports College Football 25. It overtook PlayStation’s Helldivers 2 for that second spot, demonstrating Call of Duty’s ability to climb charts even months after release. The game achieved this while simultaneously launching on Xbox Game Pass, showing that subscription availability doesn’t necessarily cannibalize sales.
What makes this even more remarkable is the sheer number of competitors that have tried and failed to dethrone Call of Duty. Battlefield has launched multiple entries during this period. Halo released several installments. Destiny attempted to carve out space in the market. Free-to-play shooters like Apex Legends and Valorant changed the competitive landscape. None of it mattered when annual sales numbers came in. Call of Duty remained on top year after year.
The Few Games That Beat Call of Duty Overall
While no shooter has topped Call of Duty since 2006, a handful of non-FPS games have managed to claim the overall best-selling game crown. Grand Theft Auto V beat Call of Duty in 2013 when it launched. Red Dead Redemption II pulled off the same feat in 2018. Hogwarts Legacy surprised everyone by taking the top spot in 2023. But these victories came from different genres entirely, not from competing shooters.
The pattern reveals something important about Call of Duty’s dominance. The franchise doesn’t just win within its genre, it competes for overall market supremacy against games from every category. And even when it doesn’t take the number one spot overall, it still demolishes every other shooter on the market. That level of sustained success is basically unprecedented in gaming.
What Happened to the Competition
The fate of Call of Duty’s competitors tells its own story. Medal of Honor is dead. Titanfall is dead. Halo struggles to maintain relevance. Battlefield went through years of troubled releases and irregular schedules. XDefiant, Ubisoft’s attempt at a free-to-play Call of Duty competitor, shut down after failing to attract enough players. The games that do succeed in the shooter space, like Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six Siege, occupy very different niches rather than directly competing.
Even free-to-play alternatives struggle to pull players away from Call of Duty’s paid releases. While games like Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends attract massive player bases, the annual premium Call of Duty releases continue selling in enormous numbers. Players apparently see value in both experiences and are willing to pay $70 for the new campaign and multiplayer maps even while playing free alternatives.
The Microsoft Game Pass Factor
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard raised questions about whether Call of Duty’s sales would plummet once the games launched on Game Pass. Black Ops 6 provided the first test case, launching day one on the subscription service. The result? It became the best-selling game for two consecutive months while also boosting Game Pass subscription spending by 8% year-over-year.
This defied predictions that Game Pass would cannibalize sales. Instead, it appears the franchise is strong enough to succeed through both traditional sales and subscription models simultaneously. Players who want immediate access and don’t have Game Pass still buy the game outright. Game Pass subscribers get it as part of their subscription. Microsoft wins either way, and Call of Duty’s market position remains secure.
Can Anything Challenge This Dominance
Looking at 2025 and beyond, it’s hard to see what could dethrone Call of Duty in the shooter category. Battlefield is attempting a comeback, but the franchise has stumbled so many times that skepticism runs deep. Halo’s future remains uncertain. Most major publishers have stopped trying to directly compete, recognizing that going head-to-head with Call of Duty in the premium shooter space is basically financial suicide.
The only realistic challenger might be Grand Theft Auto VI when it eventually launches. GTA V managed to beat Call of Duty for overall best-selling game, and the sequel could potentially do the same. But GTA isn’t a shooter in the same sense as Call of Duty. It occupies a different category entirely. In the pure FPS space, Call of Duty’s 19-year winning streak shows no signs of ending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Call of Duty been the best-selling game every year since 2006?
Not quite. While no shooter has outsold Call of Duty since 2006, some non-FPS games have claimed the overall best-selling title. Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption II, and Hogwarts Legacy all topped the annual charts in their release years.
Why did Battlefield stop competing with Call of Duty effectively?
Battlefield suffered from several poorly received releases, development troubles, and irregular release schedules. While the franchise still has fans, it hasn’t been able to match Call of Duty’s consistent quality and annual release cadence.
Does Game Pass hurt Call of Duty sales?
Early evidence suggests no. Black Ops 6 launched on Game Pass and still became the best-selling game for two months. It appears Game Pass and traditional sales can coexist successfully for major franchises.
What happened to Halo as a Call of Duty competitor?
Halo’s influence has waned significantly. While it remains culturally significant, the franchise hasn’t released an entry that truly competed with Call of Duty in sales for over a decade. Development troubles and changing player preferences moved the market away from arena shooters.
Could a free-to-play shooter ever outsell Call of Duty?
This is a tricky question because free-to-play games don’t generate traditional sales numbers. Games like Fortnite and Warzone likely exceed Call of Duty premium releases in revenue through microtransactions, but they don’t compete in the same sales category.
What’s the secret to Call of Duty’s sustained dominance?
Consistent quality, annual releases that keep the franchise fresh, massive marketing budgets, and a gameplay formula that appeals to both casual and competitive players all contribute to Call of Duty’s success.
Will any shooter challenge Call of Duty in 2025 or 2026?
There are no announced shooters that appear positioned to dethrone Call of Duty. The franchise’s grip on the market seems as strong as ever, with no realistic challengers on the horizon.
Conclusion
Call of Duty’s 19-year reign over the shooter genre represents one of the most dominant runs in entertainment history. Not just gaming, but entertainment period. To maintain that level of commercial supremacy for nearly two decades while competitors constantly try to dethrone you requires consistent execution, smart evolution, and understanding what your audience wants. Whether you love or hate the franchise, there’s no denying the numbers. Call of Duty isn’t just winning in the FPS space, it’s utterly dominating to a degree that seems almost impossible to replicate. Competitors have tried everything from free-to-play models to hero shooters to battle royale modes, and none of it has mattered when the annual sales numbers arrive. Until another shooter actually manages to outsell Call of Duty in the US market, the franchise’s throne remains secure and the competition remains firmly in second place where they’ve been stuck since 2006.