October 2025 delivered one of the most competitive months in recent gaming history across Steam and major consoles. According to GameDiscoverCo's market estimates, the month was driven by heavy-hitting sequels, breakout indie releases, and unexpected platform-specific momentum. Established franchises like Battlefield and Digimon returned with strong sales, while several new IPs proved that smaller projects can still capture massive audiences when they hit the right viral moment.
Battlefield 6 Takes Over the Month
Battlefield 6 led the month in both total sales and overall revenue. Pre-orders were already above 2.5 million units before October began, but the game closed the month with 7 million copies sold on Steam alone. Across PlayStation and Xbox, total launch-month sales exceeded 12 million units. The performance signals a major comeback for the Battlefield franchise after several uneven entries in recent years.
On PlayStation, Battlefield 6 sold an estimated 4.6 million units in October. Xbox saw surprisingly high demand as well, with roughly 2.9 million units sold. This pushed Xbox’s paid game chart above Game Pass engagement figures, which is uncommon for the platform. Analysts attribute the unusually strong Xbox performance to a core player base traditionally aligned with competitive shooters.
Indie Developers Score Viral Wins
Viral traction continued to be the wildcard factor in October. Escape From Duckov, a comedic extraction shooter originating in China, hit 1.7 million copies sold on Steam during the month and reached peak concurrent user totals near 300,000. RV There Yet?, a small game originally built during an internal studio game jam, also reached 1.7 million sold with an $8 price point that helped fuel impulse purchases.
Ball x Pit, a roguelite brick-breaker focused on short, looping progression, added nearly 600,000 copies. These titles highlight a growing trend where low-cost indie experiments are able to compete directly with premium releases - especially when supported by streamers and shareable gameplay clips.
High Revenue Leaders and Premium Pricing Wins
Revenue rankings for October paint a slightly different picture from unit sales. Battlefield 6 generated approximately $425 million, leading by a wide margin. ARC Raiders, a new extraction shooter from a team of former DICE developers, released at the end of the month yet still made an estimated $55 million and sold 1.5 million units. Positive user reviews highlighted the game’s focus on social player interactions and a shift away from standard competitive tension.
Digimon Story Time Stranger ranked third in revenue with an estimated $38 million. Instead of relying solely on high unit volume, the game benefited from premium pricing between $70 and $120 depending on region. The release reached 85,000 concurrent players on Steam, reflecting its strong appeal among fans of the long-running franchise.
Ongoing Momentum from Recent and Discounted Titles
Games released in previous months continued to build sales through ongoing virality. Megabonk, a 3D roguelike launched in September, added another 2.2 million units in October, bringing its lifetime total above 3 million. CloverPit, a roguelite based on slot-machine mechanics, grew by roughly 850,000 units and now sits around 1.2 million.
Deep discounts also reshaped the Steam charts. The survival horror game Sons of the Forest added nearly 1 million more units during a price drop to under $10, pushing lifetime sales to approximately 14 million. Hogwarts Legacy also surged again after a record-low $9 price, selling another 900,000 units and reaching a lifetime total of 11.5 million.
PlayStation Players Invest in Sequels and Narrative-Driven Releases
Beyond Battlefield, PlayStation users gravitated toward narrative-driven sequels. Ghost of Yotei, a samurai-focused follow-up from Sucker Punch, sold roughly 2.7 million units and performed well globally. ARC Raiders continued its momentum on PlayStation, selling around 500,000 units during the month.
Little Nightmares III and Digimon Story Time Stranger both added additional console sales after strong Steam launches. Dispatch, despite becoming a hit on PC, recorded fewer than 100,000 PlayStation units by month’s end, suggesting stronger traction in the PC market.
PlayStation Plus also continued to influence back-catalog momentum. Goat Simulator 3 added 1.9 million new players via the subscription tier, and Alan Wake II gained an additional 1.2 million players.
Game Pass Boosts Discovery for Mid-Scale Releases
October was unusual for Xbox because paid sales outperformed Game Pass numbers in total impact due to Battlefield. Yet Game Pass still propelled several smaller-scale titles into high visibility. Supermarket Simulator exceeded 1 million Game Pass players for the month, and Ninja Gaiden 4 reached approximately 650,000 players through the subscription, alongside solid paid sales on other platforms.
PowerWash Sim 2, The Outer Worlds 2, and Pacific Drive all saw significant adoption via Game Pass, each crossing the 300,000 player threshold for October.
Nintendo Switch eShop Trends Favor First-Party Releases
New releases on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 showed strong loyalty toward Nintendo’s internal franchises. Pokémon Z-A recorded more than 1.1 million digital players on the eShop. The remasters of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 reached a combined 500,000 units digitally.
Third-party releases performed more modestly. Ball x Pit led the group with 124,000 units, followed by Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted at 77,000 and Little Nightmares III at 55,000. Early sales data suggests that many Switch 2 adopters are prioritizing Nintendo-developed titles first and growing their libraries gradually.
Source: GameDiscoverCo
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What was the best-selling new game of October 2025?
Battlefield 6 was the top seller, reaching roughly 7 million units on Steam and more than 12 million across all platforms during the month.
Which indie games performed the best?
Escape From Duckov and RV There Yet? were the breakout indie hits, each selling around 1.7 million units on Steam in October.
Did any premium-priced games outperform expectations?
Yes. Digimon Story Time Stranger reached approximately $38 million in revenue due in part to pricing between $70 and $120.
How did Game Pass influence new releases?
Game Pass boosted player counts for several titles, especially Supermarket Simulator and Ninja Gaiden 4, though Battlefield drove unusually strong paid sales instead.
Which platform saw the strongest first-party performance?
Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 led in first-party engagement, with Pokémon Z-A and Mario remasters dominating digital charts.
Are new web3 titles influencing the charts?
No major web3 releases appeared in the top sales or revenue lists for October 2025.
