D&D and Paizo Rule The RPG Roost – Top Five RPGs According To Sales
The numbers are in, and according to data collected by ICv2 there are two big names in RPGs right now–and one surprising blast from the past.
5th Edition D&D is the most popular RPG out there right now. It’s so popular that it accounts for two full entries on ICv2’s latest charts of the top 5 RPGs by sales for Spring 2020. Now, Spring 2020 is a very interesting time, which saw the world struck by a Pandemic, go under lockdown, and then gradually things got worse and worse in some places, while others fared alright. So it’s anything but typical conditions–but even so D&D still rules the roost. Paizo is putting in work, claiming two more top spots with both Pathfinder and Starfinder. But surprising us all is the number 5 spot on the list, well ahead of Gen Con is the most apt game for 2020–Cyberpunk. Take a look.
via ICv2
This chart of the Top 5 Roleplaying Games (hobby channel) reflects sales in Spring 2020. The charts are based on interviews with retailers, distributors, and manufacturers.
The entry to pay attention to here is 5E compatible, which means any game using the D&D 5th Edition rules–which are a surprising number by now, as you’ll see. This category includes games like the newly announced Hellboy RPG (though that title is of course, not counted in the sales). This miscellaneous category is enough to overtake previous rising stars Shadowrun 6th Edition and Star Wars, clearing the way for Starfinder in its wake. It looks as though FFG shuttering its own RPG department has had its effects–though all of this pales in comparison to D&D, which is the massive continental shelf holding up the rest of the RPG industry.
As an example, there are more than 30 million characters on D&D Beyond, that’s more D&D characters than there are players using a service like Roll20.
We’re pleased to see Cyberpunk doing so well, though. Cyberpunk Red is hotly anticipated–that’s right, the game isn’t even out yet and it’s already selling better than other, more well-established properties like the Alien RPG. This year will continue to be an interesting one–a lot of popular licenses are coming up, including Fallout and Dune, both of which are published under Modiphius. We’ll be keeping an eye on what games are winning big.
Happy Adventuring!
