The monarch of January
In preparation for 2025, Nintendo has brought back its Wii and 3DS classic Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Switch. Circana’s executive director and market analyst Mat Piscatella recently unveiled the US sales charts for January, showcasing how the game fared in the local marketplace.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD made its debut at eighth place, marking it as the only new entry on the charts for January. It landed just below EA Sports College Football 25, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 topped the list. Meanwhile, Super Mario Party Jamboree slipped from 5th to 14th place, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe moved from 16th to 17th.
Piscatella further notes that the sales figures for Donkey Kong are based solely on physical data:
“Donkey Kong Country Returns was the only new release to feature in the monthly top 20 best-sellers chart, with physical sales alone sufficient to secure the #8 position.”
Regarding hardware sales, there were “double-digit percentage declines compared to the previous year” across all major console platforms, with Switch dropping to second place “in units sold” for the month:
“PlayStation 5 hardware spending fell by 38% year-over-year, while Xbox Series saw a decline of 50% and Switch by 53%.”
“PlayStation 5 was once again the leading hardware platform of the month in both units and dollar sales. Xbox Series claimed the second spot in hardware spending, whereas Nintendo Switch narrowly surpassed Xbox Series for second place in units sold.”
On the mobile front, Pokémon TCG Pocket apparently dropped three positions, likely due to its recent update:
“Pokémon TCG Pocket, the most significant release of 2024, fell three spots; however, this is likely more related to its update schedule. The week commencing January 27, 2025, was Pokémon TCG Pocket’s second-best week so far by revenue, as an update featuring new booster packs was launched,” stated Aune.
If you missed it, Nintendo has also rolled out a demo for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, which you can download now from the Switch eShop. If you’re eager to learn more about the Switch version, check out our comprehensive review here on Nintendo Life.
Did you revisit Donkey Kong Country Returns in January? Let us know