Addicted to refreshing Twitter every thirty seconds? Reddit permanently sorted by “new”? Drawn to the latest gaming fads? Checkpoint’s got you covered. Take a look at this week’s ‘Top and Trending’ to see the best selling and most popular video games around, and find out what all the cool kids are talking about!
Top Selling Games in Australia
(30/08 – 03/09) Data sourced from IGEA
1. Grand Theft Auto V
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
3. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
6. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition
7. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
8. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
9. Ring Fit Adventure
10. F1 2021
Aussie gamers are diving back into their comfort games during these uncertain times, with most of the titles in this week’s top ten representing popular titles released in past years. A hefty discount has lifted 2016’s Civilization VI to lofty heights, while Marvel-fever in the wake of the cinema release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has gamers diving back into the world of Spider-Man to get their superhero fix. There’s not much else novel about this week’s trending chart, aside from a notable absence of NBA or FIFA titles – a sign that we’re due for the next annual sports game releases, surely!
Top Selling Games on Steam
(30/08 – 03/08) Data sourced from SteamDB
1. Battlefield V
2. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
3. NARAKA: BLADEPOINT
4. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
5. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Deluxe + Bungie 30th Anniversary Bundle
6. Valve Index VR Kit (hardware)
7. Aliens: Fireteam Elite
8. Tales of Arise
9. No Man’s Sky
10. Phasmophobia
In 1983, Pat Benatar famously taught us that love is a battlefield. Much love, therefore, to DICE’s Battlefield V which is enjoying the massive rewards of a free Steam weekend, inclusion on Xbox Gold, and inclusion in EA Play. All those tasty, tasty zeitgeist-stimulating free lunches have led to a massive spike in FOMO-stricken gamers dropping cash to jump into shooting matches with their mates. This title has maintained its relevance since its release in 2018, though whether it has the staying power of Pat Benatar remains to be seen.
The long-awaited sequel to Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, has CRPG nerds frothing at the mouth for its role-playing prowess. Tom donned his robe and wizard hat and prepared to make tricky moral choices when he played through this one for review, which you can check out here. You can also check out Nat’s review for Tales of Arise here, which goes in-depth with this vibrant new JRPG.
Most Watched Games on Twitch
(02/09 – 08/09) Data sourced from SullyGnome
1. Grand Theft Auto V
2. League of Legends
3. Minecraft
4. Apex Legends
5. VALORANT
6. Fortnite
7. CS: GO
8. Call of Duty: Warzone
9. Dota 2
10. Rust
It’s a foregone conclusion that Grand Theft Auto V will continue to dominate the Twitch charts until a sequel is finally released – there you go, that’s a Red Hot Gaming Journo Prediction for you. With this cathartic crime simulator occupying almost 35 million cumulative hours of viewer time this week alone, I’m fairly confident that this Rockstar phenomenon is here to stay. Not much has shifted elsewhere since last week, with VALORANT switching places with Fortnite. Meanwhile, Rust has clambered back into the top ten thanks to its latest update that rebalances its recently added underwater gameplay – submarines have been nerfed, and there’s a new shop for fishing gear. Marine enthusiasts, take note!
Don’t forget to take a look at all the games Coming Out this week, and let us know what your predictions are for next week’s top and trending!
About the Author
David McNamara
he/him or they/them
David is a proudly queer performing artist and software developer. He spends most of his downtime with a controller in his hands and a lazy beagle on his lap.
