God of War Ragnarok’s boxed launch sales beat Elden Ring and Modern Warfare 2 in the UK

God of War Ragnarok’s launch boxed sales in the UK were higher than that of Elden Ring, Modern Warfare 2 and Pokemon Legends Arceus during the same period.

That’s according to GfK data shared by Gi.Biz, which suggests that the Sony exclusive was only beaten by FIFA 23 in terms of 2022 launch boxed sales.

According to the report, 82% of Ragnarok’s week one boxed sales were on PS5, with 18% on PS4.

It’s worth noting, however, that games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 significantly skewed towards digital sales, according to the report, suggesting that once the download data is included God of War Ragnarok may not be the second highest selling title overall.

The new PS5 bundle that was released at the launch of the game also contributed to the success to the tune of 12% of its boxed sales. This bundle represented 60% of all PS5 consoles sold during the week, which is officially the biggest week for UK PS5 sales this year.

God of War Ragnarok has become the fastest-selling title in franchise history in the UK, according to GfK. Prior to Ragnarok’s release, its predecessor, 2018’s God of War, was the fastest-selling series entry.

According to GfK, Ragnarok sold more in its first day than any previous game in the series sold in its first week.

“It became the best-seller at that time in terms of week one sales and also lifetime sales for this franchise,” said GfK boss Dorian Bloch. “In 2018, God of War ranked at No.5 by units and revenue on Sony formats.”

God of War Ragnarok has been nominated for 10 prizes at The Game Awards, making it the most nominated title.  Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West are both nominated for 7 awards.

VGC’s God of War Ragnarök review labelled it one of the best PlayStation games ever.

“God of War Ragnarök is an incredibly special game,” we wrote. “It’s vital in a way few releases are. With captivating performances that carry an amazing story to a jaw-dropping final act, it’s a game that achieves everything it sets out to do to the absolute highest standard.”

At the time of publishing, the game has a score of 94 on review aggregation site Metacritic, making it the second highest-rated new title of the year.