Witcher 3

For most gamers, the top selling game of April 2015Mortal Kombat X, largely defined their gaming experiences for that month. The title marked the new-gen debut of one of gaming's most iconic fighting game franchises, and so it was no surprise to see MKX dominate the NPD sales charts for April.

Now the NPD results for May are in, and while many games have held on from April, one notable title is absent. It seems that sales for Battlefield Hardline have declined fairly drastically, as the game debuted at the top of the NPD charts in March, dropped to third in April, and is completely missing in action in May. Unfortunately for EA and Visceral, Battlefield Hardline just doesn't have the same staying power as previous games in the franchise.

Without further ado, these are the top selling games of May 2015:

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

2. Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)

3. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

4. Minecraft (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

5. Splatoon (Wii U)

6. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

7. NBA 2K15 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

8. FIFA 15 (3DS, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

9. MLB 15: The Show (PS3, PS4)

10. Super Smash Bros. (3DS, Wii U)

After dominating PSN sales last month and with over 4 million units sold in total, it's no surprise to see the wildly successful The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as the top selling game of May 2015. The game has been a resounding success by pretty much all accounts, winning over gamers and critics alike. Witcher 3 stood virtually unopposed in terms of other new major releases throughout the month, but still faced stiff competition from Mortal Kombat X and Grand Theft Auto 5, the latter of which appears to be a permanent fixture on the charts for the foreseeable future.

There's a good chance that Witcher 3 could linger near the top of the charts for the next few months as well. CD Projekt Red is supporting the game with free weekly DLC updates (the latest of which adds both a new quest and Gwent cards) for 16 weeks post-launch, plus there's two major expansions on the way in the future as well. This content is on top of the patches that are constantly improving the overall experience by fixing issues with the game, such as XP bugs and small text problems, that may have held off potential early adopters.

Looking ahead, Batman: Arkham Knight is virtually guaranteed to be the best-selling game of June, but don't be surprised if Witcher 3 gives it a run for its money. That being said, the dark horse for next month appears to be Splatoon, which, despite releasing late in the month on May 29th, still managed to crack the top 5. This is made even more impressive when one considers that Splatoon launched as a Wii U exclusive, whereas every other game on the list is available across multiple platforms. Splatoon was also the best-selling game in Japan last week, and since the NPD doesn't take into account sales outside the United States, it seems that Nintendo's new IP can safely be considered a surprise global success.

Are you surprised by Splatoon's success? Will Witcher 3 stand a chance against Batman: Arkham Knight? Let us know what you think!

Source: Game Informer