Despite Xbox Game Pass, Starfield is the best-selling game of September 2023 in the US, per Circana

Bethesda Game Studios' new IP shot to the top of the chart.

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What you need to know

Big new games means a big shake-up for the sales charts.

Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatellasharedthe latest video games sales charts on Wednesday, revealing that Bethesda Game Studios’Starfieldwas the best-selling game of September 2023 in the U.S.

This result is notable as the game also debuted onXbox Game Pass, and is the first game released from Bethesda Game Studios as an Xbox first-party title. Starfield is also instantly the seventh best-selling game of the year.Mortal Kombat 1followed Starfield as the second-best selling title of the month, and the eighth best-selling game of the year.

For gaming hardware, the PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of the month in both dollar sales and units, followed by Xbox Series consoles in both categories. Total video game sales for the month across hardware and software reached $4.495 billion.

Below, you can see the best-selling games for the month and the year so far. Bear in mind as always Circana tracks games by dollar sales, not individual copies sold, and some publishers like Take-Two Interactive and Nintendo don’t share digital sales data.

September 2023 Circana: Here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.

1. Starfield

2. Mortal Kombat 1

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3. EA Sports FC 24

4. Madden NFL 24

5. Payday 3

6. NBA 2K24*

7. The Crew: Motorfest

8. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

9. Hogwarts Legacy

10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

11. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

12. Resident Evil 4 (2023)

13. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*

14. Minecraft

15. Mario Kart 8*

16. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

17. Gran Turismo 7

18. Elden Ring

19. Sea of Thieves

20. Diablo 4

September 2023 Circana: Here are the best-selling games in the U.S. so far this year

1. Hogwarts Legacy

2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*

3. Madden NFL 24

4. Diablo 4

5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

6. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

7. Starfield

8. Mortal Kombat 1

9. Resident Evil 4 (2023)

10. MLB The Show 23**

11. Dead Island 2

12. Final Fantasy 16

13. Street Fighter 6

14. EA Sports FC 24

15. FIFA 23

16. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

17. Elden Ring

18. Remnant 2

19. Dead Space

20. Mario Kart 8*

•   No digital data shared** No digital data shared for Xbox or Nintendo platforms

Analysis: The impact of ZeniMax is finally felt

With the launch of Starfield, the full impact of Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media is finally coming to fruition.Starfield passed 10 million playersweeks ago, but it’s still impressive to see it at the top of a sales chart, and it speaks to the strength of the game. Bethesda Game Studios titles have long lifespans, and I’m sure Starfield will continue to be an Xbox staple for years to come as Creation Kit modding tools, expansions, and more arrive.

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.