UK Chart Analysis: Nintendo’s Mario (Tennis) Fever Subsides, Reanimal Rises, EA Sports FC 26 Leads

The UK charts for the week ending 21st February show a stable market with a handful of notable shifts across the Top 10. The top positions remain competitive, with established hits continuing to perform strongly while new releases make measured gains lower down the rankings. EA Sports FC 26 holds No.1 for a second week, with PS5 accounting for almost half of all sales. Nintendo continues to dominate the upper end of the chart, as Mario Kart World on Switch 2 climbs to No.2. Reanimal moves up to No.3 (check out Cubed3’s interview with Tarsier Studios here), led by a strong PS5 share, while Pokémon Legends: Z‑A rises to No.4 with an almost even split between Switch and Switch 2 formats. Minecraft remains steady at No.5, whilst Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 jumps to No.6, driven by PS5 taking more than 80% of its sales. Mario Tennis Fever sadly sees a sharp second‑week drop from No.2 to No.7, although it is one that will continue to perform solidly over time as a Switch 2 evergreen.

NielsenIQ has shared the following regarding Mario Tennis Fever:

“The previous ‘Mario Tennis’ title Mario Tennis Aces on Switch debuted at No1 in the All-Formats Chart back in W25 2018. ‘Mario Tennis Fever’ for Switch 2 debuted at No2, selling around a third of the previous title’s launch week.”

Further down the Top 10, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition climbs to No.9, boosted by a mix of Switch 2 and PC sales. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate re‑enters at No.10, with PlayStation formats accounting for nearly all units. The mid‑table features several notable returns, including Sonic Racing: Crossworlds at No.12 and Hogwarts Legacy at No.16. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga climbs to No.15 with a balanced spread across PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond re‑enters at No.26, supported by both Switch and Switch 2, with the former now taking the lion’s share. Nintendo, in general, maintains a strong presence throughout the Top 40, with exclusives such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Super Mario Galaxy + Galaxy 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder all holding steady. Ghost of Yotei and Nioh 3 continue to chart as PS5 exclusives (at retail, in the latter’s case), while Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remain driven almost entirely by their PS5 versions.

The lower end of the chart includes further re‑entries, such as LEGO City Undercover, EA Sports UFC 5 and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes Edition, rounding out a week shaped by returning titles, platform‑driven shifts and continued strength from evergreen Nintendo releases.

For those that love extra snippets, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is back atop the 3DS chart as a re-entry, as Metroid: Samus Returns dips to No.2, ahead of Pokémon Y back in at No.3 and Dragon Quest VII: The Forgotten Past, which holds at No.4. On the Switch 2-specific chart, Cyberpunk 2077 leaps from No.16 to No.5, new racing exclusive Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is new at No.9, Star Wars Outlaws is back in at No.12, Metroid Prime: Beyond jumps four to No.13, Assassin’s Creed Shadows sneaks up four to No.14, and Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is back at No.17, whilst Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties is nowhere to be found in its second week, following mixed reviews.

The full Entertainment Software Top 40 can be found below: