Update []: Despite physical sales being down 66% compared to its predecessor, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach still sold well enough at retail to displace Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World.
Here’s the top ten:
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Mario Kart World
- Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Minecraft
- The Thing Remastered
- EA Sports FC 25
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition
- Mortal Kombat 1
As we mentioned previously, boxed game sales have been on a sharp decline in the UK, with many retailers not even carrying them anymore.
Original Story: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sold 66% fewer physical copies than its predecessor in the UK at launch, but the market has dramatically changed over the past five years or so.
Earlier this year, we reported that in 2024 boxed games sales accounted for just 4% of all video game spending in the UK. It’s actually difficult to find new physical games at retail unless you shop online these days.
One interesting tidbit is that Death Stranding 2’s physical sales were also 33% lower than last year’s Astro Bot, although journalist Chris Dring reports that game was an abnormally “physical heavy” release.
We’ll need to wait for more data with digital numbers included before we can conclude much from this, then.
However, it’s important to add that the title’s Deluxe Edition, which included early access, was only available digitally as well.
A quick look at the PS Store in the UK shows Kojima Productions’ latest behind only EA Sports FC 25 in the best-sellers list. Unfortunately, that’s really the only other reference point we have right now, as Sony doesn’t publicly surface concurrent player lists and other interesting data like that.
Remember, if you are playing the game, then our Death Stranding 2 guide can help get you the most out of it.
Did you pick up the game physically or digitally? What are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know in the comments section below.