Activision says Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has broken the global sales record for a videogame, grossing $775m (£490m) in its first five days on sale.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, released soon after, was close behind. Its publisher said it shipped seven million launch units, worth $450m (£320m).
The strong demand offers some respite to retailers in the gaming sector.
Earlier this week, the UK’s Game Group cuts its revenue forecast and said sales were down 8.6% on 2010.
Modern Warfare 3 beat last year’s release COD: Black Ops, which grossed $650m (£412m) worldwide over its first five days. Modern Warfare 2 earned $550m (£350m) over a similar period the previous year.