The NPD Group has released its projections for the best-selling games of 2019, and the predicted top-seller should be no surprise. NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella said he expects Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to be the best-selling game of 2019 in the US.

If that happens, it would mark the 9th time in 11 years that a Call of Duty game was the year’s top-seller. The only two times in the past 11 years that a Call of Duty game was not No. 1 for the year in the US was 2013 when it was Grand Theft Auto V and 2018 when it was Red Dead Redemption 2.

The NPD report goes on to predict that NBA 2K20 will be No. 2 in 2019, improving the franchise’s No. 3 place from 2018. Madden NFL 20 will finish as the No. 3 best-seller for 2019, according to Piscatella. Borderlands 3 and Mortal Kombat 11 will round out the top five, according to the prediction.

The full Top 10 list of predictions for 2019 best-sellers can be seen below.

In terms of consoles, Piscatella says he thinks the Nintendo Switch will end 2019 as the year’s best-selling console. The Switch was the first half of 2019’s best-selling console. Not only that, but it’s the only system in the US that’s growing in sales year over year. With the recent launch of the Switch Lite and the forthcoming release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Switch is expected to reach the highest annual unit sales number in the US since the Xbox 360 in 2011.

Across games and consoles, total spending on video games in the US for 2019 is expected to reach $44.6 billion in 2019; that would be up modestly from $42.2 billion in 2018.

2019 Best-Selling Video Game Predictions (US Only)

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. NBA 2K20
3. Madden NFL 20
4. Borderlands 3
5. Mortal Kombat 11
6. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
7. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
8. Kingdom Hearts III
9. The Division 2
10. Pokemon Sword (digital sales not included)

A fount of legendary Borderlands 3 loot, esports shenanigans, and more.

The spooky event for October will add a new event-specific mission and the “terror” debuff.

Players are finding clever ways to synergize gear and skills into boss-deleting, room-clearing death machines.

Here’s how long it takes to beat Borderlands 3, with a chapter total for keeping track.

Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel both added more playable characters post-launch, but don’t expect the same from Borderlands 3. At a Q&A near the end of the Borderlands Show stream, game director Paul Sage ruled out the possibility and explained his reasoning.

According to Sage, Gearbox’s data from previous expansions has shown that most people don’t stick with additional characters, and so the decision was made to differentiate the four main characters through different kinds of builds.

“Probably not. No,” he answered in response to a question about additional characters. “You were asking me earlier about data that we use. And one of the things we actually saw was that once people have picked their character–not everybody, there are no ‘everybodys,’ but a lot of people–stick with that character and want to remain. Furthermore, in Borderlands 3, we really concentrated on diversity within the characters themselves and having a lot of different builds. So that was where we put our eggs, in the basket. Now some people might want more but I don’t think that’s the way to go, not for Borderlands 3.”

He went on to say that in its data collection from previous games, they “might see people play five levels [with a DLC character] and then back to their main.”

Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel both added two additional characters in addition to the four starting classes, for six total. Borderlands 3 again has four starting characters, but introduces active skills for each branch of the skill tree, each with their own modifications. This is likely what Sage was referring to as diversity within the existing characters. If you need a hand picking which one is best for you, refer to our Vault Hunter guide.

The Borderlands Show stream also detailed the Bloody Harvest DLC, a free piece of Halloween content coming in October. And the show also dropped a Shift Code, so be sure to visit our Shift Codes index to claim it and the rest of your Golden Keys.

All the Borderlands 3 VIP codes you can redeem today, plus more ways to earn VIP points.

If you’re clamoring for more Borderlands 3 news, Gearbox has you covered with a new livestream. The Borderlands Show debuts on September 20 and with it will come a bevy of announcements, including DLC updates and TwitchCon plans.

The Borderlands Show, hosted by Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller and Fran Mirabella, is a monthly web series that will cover everything Borderlands 3–from conversations with the dev team to early glimpses of incoming content and more. You can watch tomorrow’s livestream right here or on the Borderlands Twitch channel.

The Borderlands Show Livestream Start Time

• 10 AM PT
• 12 PM CST
• 1 PM ET
• 6 PM BST

Friday’s inaugural episode is said to feature an interview with creative director Paul Sage, responses to community questions, additional news and announcements, a preview of the upcoming Halloween-themed Bloody Harvest event that’ll include a new setting and rewards, and more. Gearbox is also expected to provide more information about Borderlands 3 post-launch plans, including Maliwan Takedown and campaign DLC, on tomorrow’s episode of The Borderlands Show.

Borderlands 3 recently received a series of hotfixes that address various issues. Alongside the update comes an adjustment to the “loot cave.” Though an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC until April 2020, Borderlands 3 did set a massive record for the franchise.

Welcome back to The PC Gamer Show, our weekly livestreamed podcast

The Best Anointed Legendary Guns We’ve Found

In Borderlands 3, you’ll notice that weapons come in several tiers: Common (White), Uncommon (Green), Rare (Blue), Very Rare (Purple), and Legendary (Orange). You may be content using guns in any tier early on, but it’s in your best interest to equip higher-tier guns during the late-game. However, there’s a separate category within those higher-tier weapons that you should pursue, and they’re called Anointed.

While not necessarily a new tier all its own, Anointed guns are identical to their standard counterparts but with a unique perk that impacts your character’s abilities in significant ways. For example, the Expert Firestorm increases weapon damage by 100% for a brief duration after using an Action Skill. However, not all Anointed weapon perks are helpful for every character as some are class-specific, like the Expert Hellshock, which specifically increases the cooldown for Moze’s Iron Bear by 30% after she exits her mech. It’s worth noting that not all Anointed Guns will have the same perks, as there is a degree of RNG that impacts the types you get.

Anointed guns can typically be purchased from Earl’s Veteran Rewards vending machine in Sanctuary. Keep in mind that you can only buy stock from this machine with your Eridium supply, so be smart about when you choose to fork over what little you have. But if you don’t have enough Eridium on hand, you’re welcome to leave it up to chance by killing high-level enemies and bosses.

If you’re curious about what types of Anointed weapons there are in Borderlands 3, then check out all the ones we’ve looted and purchased below. Though, if you’re more interested in standard guns, then jump into our feature highlighting the best Legendary, Very Rare, and Rare weapons we’ve found.

We’ve noticed that there are non-Anointed weapons that also come with exclusive perks; there are two of these types at the bottom of this feature. We’ve yet to understand how these weapons stand apart from their Anointed counterparts, but rest assured, they’re still quite powerful.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read our Borderlands 3 review. You can also dive into our guide on which character you should choose before starting the game. In addition, we have an in-depth Borderlands 3 beginner’s guide offering essential tips to follow. For all else, check out our roundup of all things Borderlands 3.

Expert Hellshock (Maliwan)

Shredded Devils Foursum (Torgue)

Flokker (Torgue)

Deadeye Monocle (Jakobs)

Expert Firestorm (Maliwan)

Spooling Projectile Recursion (Maliwan)

Tamed Star Helix (DAHL)

Moor Embrace the Pain (COV)

Shocking AAA (DAHL)

Shocking AAA (DAHL) — Melee Alternate

Binary Mocking Cutsman (Maliwan)

Ginormous Gunerang XL (Tediore)

Overcompensating Breeder (Torgue)

Speedloadin’ Hellwalker (Jakobs)

Precise Barrage (DAHL)

Shocking Ripper (DAHL)

Double-Penetrating Vigorous Roisen’s Thorns (Torgue)