US PC Charts May 31-June 6: The Sims 3 ascendant

The NPD Group released today its weekly summary of PC game sales in the US for the week of May 31 to June 6, revealing that the newest iteration of EA's Sims series was that week's best-selling PC game in the US. It comes as no surprise that the Sims 3 occupied the top position, as the game sold 1.4 million copies seven days after its June 2 release. The Sims franchise actually occupied the top three slots, with The Sims 3 Collector's Edition in second and The Sims 2: Double Deluxe in third.

The Sims series bumped down Blizzard's World of Warcraft titles, which have long dominated the PC market. Blizzard's latest title, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, landed in fourth, with the World of Warcraft: Battle Chest placing fifth. EA's Spore dropped from the third slot to the sixth, while budget gambling sim Reel Deal Slots Adventure remained in seventh. World of Warcraft was eighth while Empire: Total War dropped three spots to finish ninth. The postapocalyptic shooter add-on, Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage/The Pitt Expansion Pack, entered the fray, barely, at 10th.

Week of May 31-June 6, 2009*
TITLE - PUBLISHER - AVERAGE PRICE
1) The Sims 3 - EA - $49
2) The Sims 3 Collector's Ed - EA - $69
3) The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - EA - $20
4) World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack - Activision Blizzard - $38
5) World of Warcraft: Battle Chest - Activision Blizzard - $40
6) Spore - EA - $40
7) Reel Deal Slots Adventure - Phantom EFX - $20
8) World of Warcraft - Activision Blizzard - $20
9) Empire: Total War - Sega - $50
10) Fallout 3 Operation Anchorage/The Pitt Expansion Pack - Bethesda - $20

* The above chart reflects the NPD Group's sales data drawn from a cross-sampling of retailers nationwide. Therefore, it does not include game sales through nontraditional channels, such as digital distribution.