Best-selling video games in Japan in November 2024

PS5 Pro Boosts PlayStation Sales by Over Threefold

Square Enix’s much-anticipated Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake soared to the top of Japan’s gaming charts in November 2024, cementing its place as a blockbuster title. Released on November 14, the nostalgic reimagining of a classic RPG recorded phenomenal sales, with 712,188 copies sold on the Nintendo Switch in just two weeks. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 version of the game contributed an additional 200,944 units, bringing the total to an impressive 913,000 copies sold across both platforms.

The remake outperformed its predecessors in the series, including the 2015 Dragon Quest 7: Journey of the Cursed King, which sold 733,000 units on the Nintendo 3DS during the same launch period. This milestone solidifies the enduring appeal of the Dragon Quest franchise and highlights the remarkable success of Square Enix’s modernized HD-2D visual style.

In other chart movements, Super Mario Party: Jamboree slipped to the third position but managed to sell another 168,000 copies, further extending its strong performance. Meanwhile, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, a newcomer to the list, debuted at No.4 with 88,539 units sold, signaling another win for Nintendo’s iconic franchises.

On the publisher front, Square Enix dominated with a 54.1% market share, translating to an estimated revenue of ¥6.5 billion ($43.2 million). This gave them a 30.9% lead over Nintendo, primarily driven by the overwhelming success of Dragon Quest 3.

The hardware market saw a significant shake-up, with the release of the PS5 Pro on November 7 spurring a massive increase in PlayStation 5 sales. The Pro model sold 102,092 units, while the total for all PS5 editions reached 151,000 units—a staggering threefold increase compared to October. Despite this surge, Nintendo’s Switch remained the top-selling console, moving 255,401 units across its three models and achieving 1.5 million boxed game sales during the same period.