'Animal Crossing' and the latest 'Call of Duty' dominated March as game sales spiked while millions sheltered at home

"Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is the latest smash-hit game for Nintendo's Switch."Animal Crossing New Horizons"/Nintendo

• Video game consoles and games were in especially high demand in March, as the coronavirus pandemic forced millions of Americans to stay indoors.
• Sales of "video game hardware, software, accessories, and game cards" topped $1.6 billion for the month, according to The NPD Group's monthly report — the biggest March for the game business in over a decade.
• Nintendo was the big winner, with its Switch console and "Animal Crossing" game topping the charts.
• The Switch outsold the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and "Animal Crossing" joined "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" at the top of the 20 best-selling games list.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Starting in March, millions of Americans were forced indoors by the coronavirus pandemic as shelter in place orders took place and social distancing was encouraged.

Unsurprisingly, at the same time, video game hardware and software sales skyrocketed. Millions of people, many with young children, suddenly needed ways to occupy vast quantities of time at home.

As such, Nintendo's Switch has been outright sold out. The company's latest major game, "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is outright having a moment. And the latest "Call of Duty" is more popular than ever — despite having launched months ago.

Though "Animal Crossing" and "Call of Duty" lead the pack, March's top 20 best-selling games list offers a fascinating look into what games people are playing in quarantine — here's the full list:

Read the original article on Business Insider