NPD PC game sales: December 21-27 and December 28-January 3

Even though it's been two weeks since New Year's Eve, Electronic Arts and Maxis are likely uncorking champagne. The holiday sales numbers are in, and they are dominated by the publisher and developers' uber-popular franchise, The Sims. Sims titles accounted for half of the top 10 PC games sold Christmas week, which included the Sims Deluxe and Double Deluxe, as well as the Superstar, Vacation, and Making Magic expansion packs.

The Sims also took the lion's share of PC sales the first week of 2004, with one major exception. For the first time since November, The Sims: Makin' Magic was knocked out of the top slot. The usurper? Activision's critically lauded and enduringly popular WWII shooter Call of Duty, which, it seems, has finally gotten its due.

Best-selling PC games for the week of December 21-27, 2003:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Average Price
1 / The Sims: Makin' Magic / EA / $32
2 / Call of Duty / Activision / $46
3 / Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection / Microsoft / $28
4 / The Sims Deluxe / EA / $20
5 / The Sims Double Deluxe / EA / $40
6 / The Sims: Superstar / EA / $28
7 / Age of Mythology / Microsoft / $34
8 / Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight / Microsoft / $48
9 / Halo: Combat Evolved* / Microsoft / $42
10 / The Sims: Vacation* / EA/ $18

*=new entry

Best-selling PC games for the week of December 28, 2003, to January 3, 2004:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Average Price
1 / Call of Duty / Activision / $41
2 / The Sims: Makin' Magic / EA / $29
3 / The Sims Deluxe / EA / $20
4 / Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection / Microsoft / $28
5 / The Sims Double Deluxe / EA / $40
6 / Age of Mythology / Microsoft / $34
7 / The Sims: Superstar / EA / $28
8 / The Sims: Unleashed* / EA / $29
9 / The Sims: Hot Date* / EA / $29
10 / Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic* / LucasArts / $29

*=new entry

The lists above rank games according to retail sales figures provided by NPD. To see a list of games ranked according to GameSpot review score, visit our Top 100 page.