God of War has had a better debut than any other PlayStation exclusive ever, according to The NPD Group. Not only was it the best-selling game in the U.S. in April, but it’s performance in its first month also outpaces all other PlayStation exclusives. That’s not just PlayStation 4 — it’s for any PlayStation since the platform’s debut in 1995.
God of War came out on April 20, so it was only available for 10 days in the month. But it was still able to break the record, beating Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which came out for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004.
Aside from historic sales, God of War has also received acclaim from critics. Our review praised the action game for its beautiful world, stylish combat, and more thoughtful portrayal of Kratos.
While online multiplayer games-as-service titles, notably Fortnite, continue to earn massive amounts of money and permeate cultural awareness, God of War shows that single-player games can still make a lot of noise. Sony has released many high-profile single-player exclusives for the PlayStation 4 since it launched in 2013, including Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Sony still has other major exclusives coming to the PlayStation 4 this year, including Insomniac’s Spider-Man. That open-world game launches on September 7.