Top and Trending in gaming this week - February 6th, 2022

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

(17/1 – 23/1) Data sourced from IGEA

1. Grand Theft Auto V
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
3. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
4. Spider-man
5. Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun
6. Monster Hunter Rise
7. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
8. Uno
9. NBA 2K22
10. Red Dead Redemption

It’s a Rockstar Games summer, with their flagship titles Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 dominating the Aussie top ten, and even the twelve-year-old original Red Dead Redemption nabbing tenth place. While their violently immersive open world sandboxes have always been arguably the most popular titles in gaming for the past decade, this particular surge in sales comes as Rockstar reveals that the next Grand Theft Auto title is in development. No doubt it will prove as wildly successful as its predecessors.

Elsewhere in the charts we see some traditional best-sellers such as Spider-man and NBA 2K22, while the recent release of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction has also helped its previous series entry Siege gain ground. Luke checked out this supernatural shooter for review, and found it “…an incredibly gripping experience that doesn’t let go easily.” We’ve also got some less intense titles in the top ten this week, with the jolly rhythm adventure Taiko No Tatsujin and the classic card game Uno enjoying a week of high sales just before the kids go back to school.

Top Selling Games on Steam

(23/01 – 30/01) Data sourced from SteamDB

1. God of War
2. Monster Hunter Rise
3. Dying Light 2 Stay Human
4. Elden Ring
5. Dying Light 2 Stay Human
6. Ready or Not
7. Total War: WARHAMMER III
8. Lost Ark Platinum Founder’s Pack
9. Project Zomboid
10. It Takes Two

Following the recent trend of PlayStation exclusives making their way to PC, 2018’s God of War has hit Steam in all its glorious high-resolution splendour. This release sees Kratos delivering his story in 4K with extended graphical options compared to its console brethren. Elliot checked it out and found it every bit as compelling as Luke did in his original review. Similarly new to PC following a successful console season, Monster Hunter Rise has leapt off the Switch and into the realms of pretty graphics. Tom adored the original release of this creature-slaying epic, with this higher-fidelity version bringing voice chat, 4K, and better framerate options to the fray.

While we’re waiting with bated breath for the upcoming Elden Ring to drop later this month, there’s plenty of fantastic games to play in the meantime. One of these is Dying Light 2, whose worldbuilding and immersion Charlie found breathtaking in her review. On the other end of the zombie thriller scale, Project Zomboid looks like The Sims meets Dawn of the Dead and I am very on board.

Most Watched Games on Twitch

(29/01 – 05/02) Data sourced from SullyGnome

1. League of Legends
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. VALORANT
4. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
5. CS: GO
6. Apex Legends
7. Fortnite
8. Minecraft
9. FIFA 22
10. Call of Duty: Warzone

Like clockwork, the titans of Twitch take the top slots this week. League of Legends enjoyed its regular balance patch, and Grand Theft Auto V… well, it’s GTA. Enough said. The newest Pokémon title has shaken up the formula and Wurmpled its way into Twitch viewers’ hearts, with fans curious about Legends: Arceus coming out in droves to watch people hunt for shiny monsters. Erstwhile, the usual Twitch-erati continue to pull in viewers, with only minor shifts in their positions in the top ten.