Despite 2015 having received many major video game releases, it was a 2012 video game that topped the annual list of the best-selling games on Steam, with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beating out the likes of Fallout 4 and Grand Theft Auto V.
The list, compiled by Steam Spy, detailed the game that sold the most globally on the digital distribution platform throughout the entirety of the year, along with offering different data for each region in which the platform is available. While Fallout 4 was the best-selling game overall in the US, having sold just under 1 million copies, Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment’s FPS topped the chart worldwide, selling over 5.6 million copies worldwide. This was a significantly higher number than the amount of units sold by its closest runner-up, Grand Theft Auto V, which sold 3.5 million copies throughout the duration of 2015.
Fallout 4 managed to sell 2.4 million copies globally, while ARK: Survival Evolved exceeded expectations by shifting 2.1 million copies, a huge financial success given that the game launched in a glitch-riddled state on Early Access. Rocket League came in at fifth place with 1.9 million copies sold.
Steam Spy’s figures were taken from the months April – December, meaning some of these figures may be slightly skewed, though it is still likely that Counter-Strike would have topped the list given that it has been available to purchase for the entire year. When only accounting for games released in 2015, Grand Theft Auto V topped the list while Fallout 4 sat in second place, a big achievement considering Bethesda’s game only released in November.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was also the best-selling game in a number of regions, including Russia, Germany, France, Poland, Brazil and Turkey, while Grand Theft Auto V sold the most amount of copies in the UK.
The list represents a massive rise in the popularity of the strategic shooter, which has received a significantly increased amount of interest on the likes of Twitch, rivaling the likes of League of Legends and StarCraft II on the streaming site. However, with many of the games featured on the list subject to Steam sales, the amount of earnings collected by each game is not known, which could well mean that the likes of Fallout 4 – which is one of the pricier games on the list – has had more success in regards to the amount of money it has generated over the course of the year.
But with that being said, this is still a major achievement for CS:GO, and tops off what has been an incredible year for the game.
