Popular Xbox games — January 3rd, 2023

Our first Gameplay Chart of popular Xbox games in 2023 sees Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II start the new year by keeping its top spot, while High On Life almost falls out of the top five.

Modern Warfare has started the year on a good footing, and it'll be interesting to see what manages to displace it in 2023 first. High On Life, which exploded onto Xbox Game Pass at launch, has taken a bit of a tumble but hasn't fallen too far — it sits this week at fifth. Overwatch 2 remains just outside the top five, and the rest of the top ten hasn't budged. In fact, there aren't many big changes — apart from Elden Ring climbing four spots to 17th and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition sadly dropping three places to 25th — until we get to 31st, where Life is Strange: True Colors reappears in the chart at 31st after being included in the last round of Xbox Game Pass Weekly Quests. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered also featured in those Xbox Game Pass Quests, which likely explains it making its first appearance on the chart in 33rd. Call of Duty: Black Ops III is also back in the top 40, this time at 35th, but it's not such good news for Vampire Survivors, which has fallen six places to 37th, presumably as players move onto new additions and get ready for other games coming to Game Pass. Cyberpunk 2077 has escaped the fate of dropping out of the top 40 this week, hopping up two spaces to 38th. Then we have this week's last reappearances: Gang Beasts — which features on our list of the easiest and fastest Game Pass completions — at 39th and Among Us at 40th.

Looking ahead, we have a whole new year of games on the way. We already know of five games confirmed for Game Pass this month, but we'll likely hear more from the Xbox team of other new January additions soon. Then we've got major launches like Starfield and Redfall on the way. What do you think will make it into the top ten next? Which game could dethrone Modern Warfare II this year? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Top 40 Xbox Gameplay Chart (w/e January 3rd, 2023)

Position	Game	Publisher	Last week
1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II	Activision	1
2	Fortnite	Epic Games	2
3	Minecraft	Xbox Game Studios	4
4	Grand Theft Auto V	Rockstar Games	5
5	High On Life	Squanch Games	3
6	Overwatch 2	Blizzard Entertainment	6
7	Rocket League	Psyonix	7
8	FIFA 23	Electronic Arts	8
9	ROBLOX	Roblox	9
10	Forza Horizon 5	Xbox Game Studios	10
11	Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege	Ubisoft	11
12	Apex Legends	Electronic Arts	13
13	Destiny 2	Bungie	12
14	Halo Infinite	Xbox Game Studios	14
15	NBA 2K23	2K Sports	16
16	FIFA 22	Electronic Arts	15
17	Elden Ring	Bandai Namco Entertainment	21
18	Fall Guys	Epic Games	17
19	Madden NFL 23	Electronic Arts	20
20	Battlefield 2042	Electronic Arts	18
21	Red Dead Redemption 2	Rockstar Games	23
22	LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment	19
23	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	Activision	24
24	Sea of Thieves	Xbox Game Studios	26
25	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition	CD Projekt	22
26	Halo: The Master Chief Collection	Xbox Game Studios	27
27	ARK: Survival Evolved	Reverb Publishing	33
28	Grounded	Xbox Game Studios	28
29	Dead by Daylight	505 Games	29
30	Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War	Activision	34
31	Life is Strange: True Colors	Square Enix	RE
32	EA SPORTS UFC 4	Electronic Arts	32
33	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
34	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition	Bethesda Softworks	35
35	Call of Duty: Black Ops III	Activision	RE
36	PUBG: Battlegrounds	KRAFTON	36
37	Vampire Survivors	poncle	31
38	Cyberpunk 2077	CD Projekt	40
39	Gang Beasts	Double Fine	RE
40	Among Us	Maximum Games	RE

Chart compiled using gameplay data from over 2.4 million active Xbox accounts. Chart information is copyright GameInsights. For details on how the chart is calculated, click here.

Chart

Written by Heidi Nicholas

Heidi tends to lean towards indie games, RPGs, and open-world games on Xbox, and when not playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, happily installs every new wholesome game that appears on Xbox Game Pass, before diving back into favorites like The Witcher 3. She's looking forward to Age of Mythology Retold, Everwild, Fable, and Avowed on the Xbox horizon. Heidi graduated with an MA in English Literature before joining the TrueAchievements team.