Tag: NPD
And yes, the PS5's still killing it
An eventful Circana report tracking the US video game industry for November 2024 has confirmed a couple of fascinating milestones: the Nintendo Switch has now overtaken the PS2 as the country’s best-selling console of all time, while EA Sports College Football 25 has cemented itself as the best-selling sports...
News Oct 2024 USA Sales: PS5, PS4 Account for 82% of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Sales in the US
The impact of Game Pass
The US sales data for the month of October has arrived, courtesy of Circana and analyst Mat Piscatella. Perhaps most interesting is the sales performance of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which is the first entry to be included on Xbox's Game Pass subscription service. As noted by Piscatella, 82 per cent of the game's sales in...
News Sep 2024 USA Sales: Astro Bot PS5 a Top Seller, Only FC 25 Above It
Outsells Zelda, NBA, and Space Marine 2
Astro Bot was the second best-selling game of September 2024 in the USA, only bettered by football simulator FC 25, one of the most popular releases of the entire year. The popular PS5 platformer launched on the 6th September, giving it the vast majority of the month to accrue as many sales as possible —...
News Aug 2024 USA Sales: Console Sales Take a Sharp Decline, But PS5 Is Still King
What a pro
The USA's video games sales data for the month of August is here, and there's been a pretty steep drop-off when it comes to hardware. Circana's Mat Piscatella states that hardware spending for August is down 36 per cent year-on-year. To be down by over a third is quite unusual, although it's possible some are saving their cash for the...
Hell yeah
Helldivers 2 has been reigning supreme as the USA's top-selling game of 2024, but just like that, it's now playing second fiddle. EA Sports College Football 25 has trumped Sony's sci-fi co-op shooter, touching down in first place on July's software chart and now the year's best-selling title. According to analyst Mat Piscatella, the game's...
News Jun 2024 USA Sales: Kingdom Hearts Up 396 Places to Rival Elden Ring DLC Takeover
Steam bundle sends Kingdom Hearts into third
Elden Ring was the best-selling title of June 2024 in the USA thanks to the release of its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but the real story of the month comes from Square Enix's weird and wonderful crossover series Kingdom Hearts. Following ports to Steam — previously exclusive to the Epic Games Store —...
News May 2024 USA Sales: Sucker Punch Classic Ghost of Tsushima Jumps 70 Places to Top Charts
Jin and tonic
It may be an indictment of a particularly slow period for big new releases, but it’s still no less impressive to see Ghost of Tsushima top the USA sales charts for the period spanning 5th May through 1st June. The legendary Sucker Punch title jumped 70 places month-over-month on the back of the game’s PC release, proving Sony’s...
News Apr 2024 USA Sales: Stellar Blade Slashes Straight to Number 1, Helldivers 2 Is Still Insane
PS5 tops hardware yet again
Stellar Blade is the big winner of the latest US sales report from analytical company Circana (as outlined by the ever-informative Mat Piscatella). The current PS5 exclusive topped the charts for April, having released on the 26th of the month. Admittedly, it was a pretty quiet period for new releases, but it's still an...
News Mar 2024 USA Sales: Dragon's Dogma 2 Tops the Charts, Helldivers 2 Is Unstoppable
Democracy at work
March was a good month for new games, as a number of fresh releases walked straight into the USA software charts. As per Circana (formerly NPD) analyst Mat Piscatella, it was Dragon's Dogma 2 that caught fire in March, claiming the crown as the month's best-selling title. The action RPG sequel is also the third best-selling game of...
News Feb 2024 USA Sales: Helldivers 2 Kills It as 2024's Best-Selling Game So Far
FFVII Rebirth takes second place in Feb
Helldivers 2 is the best-selling video game of 2024 so far in the USA. Full stop. Done. Accounting for both physical and digital purchases, Circana data places it at the top of the sales charts for both February 2024 and the year so far. The unexpected hit is said to have sold more than eight million copies,...
A strong month for Sony
January 2024 was a busy month for new game releases, and the freshly published USA software charts demonstrate this fact quite well. As per Circana's Mat Piscatella, six new titles made the cut, with four of those games pushing straight into the top ten (all platforms included). Tekken 8 was arguably the biggest winner of...
Record dating back to 2009 has been broken
Hogwarts Legacy has ended a 14-year streak that saw either a Call of Duty game or a title from Rockstar Games named the best-selling game of the year in the USA. The Harry Potter simulator has been named the best-selling game of 2023 in new data from Circana, beating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It's not...
News November 2023 Circana: PS5 Is Still in First, Call of Duty Sells Best
Just like clockwork
It should come as little surprise, but the disappointing launch state of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 didn't stop it from being the best-selling game of November in the USA. New data from Circana confirms the FPS topped the charts last month and instantly become the second best-selling title of 2023, just behind Hogwarts...
News October 2023 Circana: Spider-Man 2, PS5 Both Chart-Toppers as the Sony Streak Continues
Fourth best-selling game of 2023 already
Sony certainly won't mind, but its continued dominance over the USA's gaming sales data makes us sound like a broken record: the PS5 was the best-selling console in the country across both units purchased and dollar sales for yet another month. With the release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 boosting it, the system...
News September 2023 Circana: PS5 Still on Top Despite Chart-Topping Starfield
Spider-Man 2 PS5 controller the best-selling accessory
The PS5 console was the best-selling platform in terms of both units purchased and dollar sales in the USA last month despite the release of Starfield on rival hardware. The Sony system topped the hardware chart on both fronts, with the Xbox Series X|S taking second and then the hybrid Nintendo...
News July 2023 Circana: PS5 Continues to Crush It in US as June's Heavy Hitters Remain in Top 10
Diablo, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter still selling
The PS5 was once again the best-selling console of the month in the US, both in terms of units sold and dollar sales. As per the latest data from Circana (previously NPD), Sony's current-gen console carried its record-breaking momentum into July 2023, with June's trio of heavy hitters — Diablo 4,...
News June 2023 Circana: PS5 Posts Best PlayStation Results in 15 Years
Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, and Street Fighter 6 rule supreme
Another month, another record broken for the PS5, which is really beginning to steamroll now. According to Circana (previously NPD) data, Sony’s new-gen system was the best-selling console in the United States across both units and dollar sales metrics in June 2023. In fact, consumer...
News April 2023 Circana: PS5 Locked in Fierce Battle with Nintendo Switch
Star Wars Jedi, Dead Island 2 rule supreme
The more expensive PS5 generated more dollar sales than the Nintendo Switch in the United States in April 2023, but the hybrid hardware – now into its seventh year on the market – sold more units. That’s likely due to anticipation for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, alongside continued...
News March 2023 Circana: PS5 Now Trending Ahead of PS4, Best March Ever for a PlayStation
Super Saiyan
Update: Not only is the PS5 trending ahead of the PS4 in the USA, but it also set a new PlayStation units record for March – after achieving the same feat for February last month as well. Estimates peg the sales at over 620k for March 2023, which is what the PSP sold at launch back in 2005. Basically, the new-gen console is sellin
News February 2023 Circana: PS5 Set New Unit Record for PlayStation, Towered Over Rivals
A huge month for new releases
Update: Circana’s Mat Piscatella has confirmed that the PS5 set a new February unit record for an individual PlayStation hardware platform in the United States last month. While that’s a lot of qualifiers, it effectively means the console sold a lot. Early estimates peg the platform’s results at over 500k units...
News January 2023 NPD: PS5 Dominates as HBO Powers The Last of Us Up the Charts
Many more endure and survive
Sony is likely to have a stranglehold on the games industry this year, although Nintendo looks set to remain a close competitor, of course. On the back of an enormous relaunching exercise, the PS5 topped the NPD sales charts in the United States for January 2023, beating out its closest competitor the Nintendo Switch in...
News PS5, PS4 Exclusives Feature in USA's Best-Selling Games of 2022
Ragnarok, Forbidden West included
NPD sales data has declared Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the best-selling game of 2022 across the USA, with Elden Ring taking second place and Madden NFL 23 claiming third. PS5, PS4 exclusive God of War Ragnarok was the fourth best-selling title in the USA, and Horizon Forbidden West also made it into the to
News November 2022 NPD: Improved PS5 Stock Pushes Sony to Crucial Holiday Win
Top of the lot
PS5’s stock resurgence continues unabated, as Sony dominated the USA hardware sales charts for the fourth successive month – this time in the crucial November shopping period. PlayStation’s new-gen system outsold its competition in both units and dollars, making it a comfortable frontrunner overall. This success contributed to a...
News October 2022 NPD: PS5 Stock Improvements Take Sony to the Top
Stay winning
PS5 is really rolling now! Sony has topped the US hardware charts for a third successive month, outselling the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch in both dollars and units. The company has managed to massively improve PS5 stock of late, and while the system can still take a little effort to find, it’s clear that it’s much more...
News September 2022 NPD: Replenished PS5 Stock Sends Sony's System Soaring
The Last of Us' PS5 remake starts strong
PS5 stock is finally on the rise, and Sony is reaping the rewards big time. The new-gen system topped the US hardware charts for the second successive month in September 2022, dominating in both overall unit sales and revenue. In fact, the console enjoyed double-digit growth year-over-year, propelled by...
News August 2022 NPD: PS5 Finally Outsells Switch Following Stock Improvements
Madden, Saints Row, Spider-Man top the charts
If it wasn't for the well-documented PS5 stock situation, it's fair to assume that Sony's current-gen console would be absolutely flying right now. But as it stands, the stock-strangled system is only just starting to dominate the gaming market, close to two years after its initial launch. Stock...
News July 2022 NPD: Free-to-Play MultiVersus Tops Charts, PS5 Out in Front
MLB The Show 22 still hitting dingers
This is an incredible result for free-to-play platform fighter MultiVersus: it topped the July 2022 NPD software charts for the United States, beating games like Elden Ring and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The release’s success was driven by Founder’s Packs, which included additional content and provided fans...
News June 2022 NPD: PS5 Sees Double Digit Growth, Biggest Dollar Sales of Year So Far
Back in business
Sony has once again proven that when it’s able to put PS5 stock on shelves, it’s able to generate dizzying sales statistics. For the month of June 2022, the new-gen system delivered double digit dollar sales growth year-over-year in the United States – and has driven the most revenue across all hardware platforms in the first...
News May 2022 NPD: PS5 Stock Issues Put Sony Back in Last
As industry takes a tumble
Sony managed to improve PS5 supply in the USA in April 2022, but stock issues pegged it right back in May 2022, unfortunately. The new-gen console was outsold by both the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X|S, although an overall 19 per cent dip in industry spend year-over-year suggests the hardware production problems are...
News April 2022 NPD: PS5 Back on Top After Supply Issues Thwart Sales
LEGO Star Wars the best-selling game
After just one month on the market, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is already among the six best-selling LEGO titles of all time in the US after selling more copies than any other game in the country for the month of April 2022. It also achieved the "highest launch month dollar sales for any LEGO title in...
News March 2022 NPD: PS5 Stock Problems Put Sony in Last Place
But software is connecting with consumers
PlayStation 5’s stock woes appear to be getting worse, not better, with Sony’s new-gen system landing dead last in the latest NPD report. While main competitor Microsoft was able to break a March record, and Nintendo Switch continued to perform as consistently as ever, the PS5 finds itself floundering in...
News February 2022 NPD: Elden Ring Is the Best-Selling Game of the Year So Far
Horizon Forbidden West also in the running
With the game dominating the conversation everywhere you look, it's not a huge surprise to learn that Elden Ring is now the best-selling game of 2022 so far in the USA. Apparently, it's second only to Call of Duty: Vanguard in terms of launch month sales for games released in the last 12 months. It's doing...
News January 2022 NPD: PS5 Comes Top in Hardware Charts Across the US
Call of Duty: Vanguard the second best selling game
The PlayStation 5 has topped NPD hardware charts in the US for the month of January 2022. While exact sales stats aren't shared, Sony's latest system was the best selling platform in both units sold and dollars earned. It beat out the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch simply based on the fact...
News December 2021 NPD: Call of Duty: Vanguard Was the Best-Selling PS5, PS4 Game of the Year
Revenue Sony could lose in the future
If you need any more evidence of how important today's news of Microsoft purchasing Activision Blizzard for $70 billion and what that means for Sony, here it is: Call of Duty: Vanguard was the best-selling game of the year on PlayStation 5, PS4 consoles across the US. Despite a
News November 2021 NPD: Minimal PS5 Stock Leads to Disappointing Hardware Sales
Not enough to go around
People want the PlayStation 5, but Sony can’t get enough stock onto store shelves. The platform holder had talked about transitioning players at record pace, but the pandemic has put a stop to all that, as the organisation struggles to manufacture enough inventory to meet demand. Ultimately, this is going to have a profound...
News October 2021 NPD: PS5 Is Still the Best-Selling US System of the Year
But in dollar sales, not units
The PlayStation 5 is still battling with the Nintendo Switch to be the best-selling US console of the year, but stock limitations mean it may eventually lose out over the all-important holiday period. Sony is outselling the Nintendo hybrid when it comes to dollar sales (or revenue), but the House of Mario’s machine...
News September 2021 NPD: PS5 Snaps Nintendo Switch's 33-Month Hardware Win Streak
Overtaken
PlayStation 5 was the United States’ best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollar sales in September 2021, ending a 33-month Nintendo Switch streak. While Sony’s next-gen console has outperformed the hybrid console in dollar sales at times over the past year, this is the first occasion where it’s outdone it in units as...
News August 2021 NPD: Ghost of Tsushima Up 108 Places Into Second Thanks to Director's Cut
Madden NFL 22 takes top spot
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut has caused sales of the open world title from Sucker Punch Productions to absolutely skyrocket, boosting the game from 110th place in July all the way up to second spot following the expanded release's launch on PlayStation 5 and PS4 last month. It was beaten only by new entry Madden NFL...
News July 2021 NPD: MLB The Show 21 Is the Second Best-Selling Game of 2021
Quiet month elsewhere, however
You can tell it's the quiet summer months of the year when trying to find something interesting to talk about in the latest NPD software results is like drawing blood from a stone. The chart has settled to a point where the usual Nintendo titles are on top alongside service games that always do well, meaning the games...
News June 2021 NPD: PS5 Exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Tops Software Charts
Highest US launch month dollar sales in series history
Wow! Insomniac Games is making bank for Sony this generation so far. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, despite releasing exclusively on the supply constrained PlayStation 5, topped the US software charts in June – rounding out a great month for PlayStation. MLB The Show 21 held strong in fourth...
News May 2021 NPD: Resident Evil Village Is Second Best-Selling Game of 2021
Beaten only by Call of Duty
Resident Evil Village was the best-selling game for the month of May 2021, topping the charts for both the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Those first month sales see it become the second best-selling title of the year so far, beaten only by Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The only other new release to crack the top 20...
News April 2021 NPD: MLB The Show 21, Returnal Lead Big Month for Sony
Returnal to sender
MLB The Show 21’s inclusion with Game Pass didn’t hinder full-price sales anywhere near as much as expected, as the game topped the April 2021 NPD best-sellers list, setting a new series record in the process. It’s worth noting that this was the first entry in the baseball simulation to also release on Xbox platforms,...
News March 2021 NPD: PS5 Is Still the Fastest-Selling Console in US History
In terms of both unit and dollar sales, during a pandemic
PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in US history, after five months on the market. You may have read this headline before, but there’s an important distinction compared to February 2021’s NPD report: the next-gen format has achieved the feat in both dollar sales and unit sales,...
News February 2021 NPD: PS5 Is Fastest Selling System in US History
Miles Morales holding strong
Sony may be keeping things concerningly close to its chest, but make no mistake: the PlayStation 5 is a runaway freight train that’s going to be difficult to slow down. February’s NPD report, which tracks hardware and software sales in the United States, reveals that the next-gen PlayStation is now the fastest...
News January 2021 NPD: PS5 Breaks Decade Old Dollar Sales Record
Despite being supply constrained
Sony may not be able to ship enough PlayStation 5 consoles to meet demand, but it did get enough units into the United States retail chain to break a decade old dollar sales record. According to the latest NPD report, the console raked in more revenue in January 2021 than any other system has since the Nintend
News December 2020 NPD: Cyberpunk 2077 Takes Second Place, But Can't Outsell Call of Duty
Miles Morales in fourth
CD Projekt RED reported it had managed to flog 13 million copies of Cyberpunk 2077 worldwide as of late December, and that was enough to see it debut in second place in the month's US NPD sales chart. Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War pipped it to the top spot, retaining that position after a strong showing in...
News November 2020 NPD: PS5 Sets New US Hardware Launch Record, But Can't Beat Nintendo Switch
Miles Morales outsells Assassin's Creed on PlayStation platforms
The sales results for November 2020 are in, and the PlayStation 5 achieved the “highest launch month unit and dollar sales for a video game hardware platform in US history”, beating out the previous record held by the PlayStation 4. It couldn’t, however, beat the Nintendo Switch...
News October 2020 NPD: FIFA 21 Scores First-Ever US Number One
Back of the net
The football you play with your feet beat out the football you play with your hands in the October 2020 NPD sales charts for the United States, as Nintendo’s record-breaking year quietly trundled along. The vast majority of the games in the latest US report belong to the Switch, but despite a disappointing critical response, EA...
News September 2020 NPD: Marvel's Avengers Hulk Smashes Its Rivals
Tony Hawk 1 + 2 kickflips fourth
What a strange launch Marvel’s Avengers has endured! The game has, by all intents and purposes, sold well – but it’s perhaps failed to meet the behemoth expectations put upon it by publisher Square Enix. Case in point: the title topped the USA sales charts for September 2020, securing the second-best superhero...
News Gamers Will Happily Pay $70 for PS5 Games, Argues Analyst
Market demand is market demand
The rise in PlayStation 5 game prices has been a sticky topic since it was announced, but NPD’s Mat Piscatella has argued that gamers will “happily pay” the boosted price point. Speaking as part of the Virtual Economy podcast, the analyst argued that he believes the increase can be ascribed to market demand, as...
