Not in the May 2016 U.S. physical-sales ranking. Uncharted 4 ranked first, Doom second and Overwatch third. The “fastest-selling” claim refers to a different comparison: adjusted for time on sale, Overwatch sold at twice Doom’s pace. That does not mean it outsold Uncharted 4 in every channel or led the month by total sales.
What the May 2016 U.S. retail chart showed
NPD’s May ranking, as reported by GameSpot on June 9, 2016, put the games in this order:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Overwatch Legendary Edition - PlayStation 4 | $27.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Overwatch - Origins Edition - PlayStation 4 (Renewed) | $9.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Overwatch Legendary Edition - Xbox One | $16.82 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Overwatch - Origins Edition - Xbox One (Renewed) | $6.60 | Buy on Amazon |
- Uncharted 4
- Doom
- Overwatch
This was a U.S. physical-retail ranking, not a worldwide chart or a complete count of physical and digital sales. It establishes that Overwatch did not beat either rival in that particular total-sales ranking.
What “fastest-selling” meant
The comparison behind the headline accounted for how long each game had been available during the month. Overwatch had fewer days on sale in May than Doom. NPD analyst Liam Callahan’s comparison, quoted by Game Informer, was: “When comparing Overwatch sales for days in the market, this title doubled the sales of Doom.”
#1 Best Overall
- Experience the extraordinary
- Play as heroes, not classes
- Fight for the future together
- The world is your battlefield
- Overwatch legendary edition includes 5 Epic and 5 legendary skins
That is a sales-rate comparison against Doom, not a claim that Overwatch had more total May sales than Doom, and not a claim that it outsold Uncharted 4. The distinction matters: a game can sell faster per day while still ranking lower in total units for a calendar month.
Why other May rankings look different
Digital and PC sales
The physical chart left out digital copies. A contemporaneous GamesBeat analysis published June 10, 2016 argued that including digital sales, particularly digital PC sales, made Overwatch’s sales pace look about twice Uncharted 4’s. That was reporting about a broader sales-rate comparison, not a published, audited all-channel May total that ranks all three games on equal terms.
Rank #2
- Experience the extraordinary
- Play as heroes, not classes
- Fight for the future... together
- The world is your battlefield
- Games requires PlayStation Plus to play
PlayStation Store sales
On PlayStation’s own May Store chart, Uncharted 4 ranked first, ahead of Overwatch and Doom. The PlayStation Blog’s June 6, 2016 chart is a platform-store ranking, so it answers a narrower question than the U.S. physical-retail chart.
Launch figures are not May totals
GamesBeat reported that Overwatch sold more than 7 million copies in its first week, while Sony reported more than 2.7 million Uncharted 4 sales in its first week. These figures provide launch context, but they cover separate first-week windows and should not be treated as comparable May-only totals. No cited source supplies comparable all-channel May totals for all three games.
Rank #3
- Experience the extraordinary
- Play as heroes, not classes
- Fight for the future together
- The world is your battlefield
- Overwatch legendary edition includes 5 Epic and 5 legendary skins; Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood, violence, use of tobacco
Platforms and release context
Activision Blizzard’s May 24, 2016 launch announcement identified Overwatch: Origins Edition for Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. That release context helps explain why channel and platform coverage matter when interpreting sales comparisons; it does not establish current availability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the claim accurately
- Geography: The NPD chart described here covers the United States, not global sales.
- Channel: The NPD ranking was physical retail; the PlayStation Store chart covered that store.
- Metric: A total-sales ranking and a rate adjusted for days on sale are different measures.
- Period: First-week sales figures cannot stand in for calendar-month totals.
So the headline is best understood as a claim about Overwatch’s reported sales pace, especially against Doom—not as proof that Overwatch topped the May 2016 U.S. physical chart or beat Uncharted 4 in every sales channel.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Experience the extraordinary
- Play as heroes, not classes
- Fight for the future.together
- The world is your battlefield
- Game requires Xbox Live Gold to play
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