Video Game Consoles Are Selling for 12% More in the U.S. This Year Than Last Year

Video game hardware sales are stronger than ever in the U.S., according to Circana—but that’s largely due to higher prices, with units now 12% more expensive than last year.

This trend comes from Circana’s August report, which revealed that hardware spending rose 32% year-over-year, driven by the Nintendo Switch 2, whose sales countered double-digit declines for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and the original Switch. As of now, Nintendo Switch 2 sales are running 77% ahead of the original Switch’s pace during the same period.

As Piscatella noted on Bluesky, “With 2.4 million units sold life-to-date in its first three months on the market, the Nintendo Switch 2 is now 5% ahead of the PlayStation 4’s record pace, which sold 2.2 million units in the three months ending January 2014.”

Circana also reports that year-to-date hardware spending has increased 20% year-over-year, with unit sales up 6.5%. But this isn’t primarily due to more consoles being purchased—the average sale price per unit has jumped 12.3% to $453.

“Yes, hardware is performing well this year so far (thanks largely to the Nintendo Switch 2), but it’s the higher selling prices that are really fueling the overall spending growth,” Piscatella said.

August was a strong month for sports titles, with NBA 2K26 leading all games in overall sales and topping the charts on both PlayStation and Xbox, becoming the fifth best-selling game of the year so far. Madden NFL 26 came in second, now ranking as the tenth best-selling game of the year, and also contributed to the EA Sports MVP Bundle (ranked No. 8 for August) and the EA Sports Kickoff Bundle (which debuted at No. 9).

Other new releases this month included Mafia: The Old Country debuting at No. 3, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater at No. 4, and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar at No. 19 for August. Gears of War: Reloaded didn’t make the overall top sellers list, but it launched at No. 6 on PlayStation and No. 8 on PC.

Notable climbs included Helldivers II, which rose from No. 25 last month to No. 14 this month. Analyst Mat Piscatella has mentioned on Bluesky that he’s actively verifying Helldivers II sales data on Xbox—it’s currently not reflected in the Xbox chart. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 surged from No. 24 to No. 10, possibly due to its August 1 release date; Circana’s August tracking began on August 3, so the game’s initial launch was captured last month, but most of its sales occurred during the August tracking window. Kirby and the Forgotten Land also jumped from No. 36 on Nintendo Switch charts last month to No. 6, likely boosted by the release of the Star-Crossed World upgrade pack for Switch 2.

Overall, content spending rose 11% to $4.2 billion in August.

In accessories, the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller was the top-selling accessory by both units and revenue, for both August and year-to-date.

Total games spending climbed 11% year-over-year to $4.7 billion, largely driven by NBA 2K26, the Nintendo Switch 2, and increased mobile spending.

August 2025 U.S. Top 20 Best-Selling Games:

NBA 2K26 (NEW)Madden NFL 26 (NEW)Mafia: The Old Country (NEW)Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (NEW)EA Sports College Football 26Gears of War: ReloadedDonkey Kong BananzaEA Sports MVP Bundle (2025)EA Sports Kickoff Bundle (2025) (NEW)Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Hinokami Chronicles 2Minecraft*Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Grand Theft Auto VHelldivers IIForza Horizon 5Grounded 2WWE 2K25Hogwarts LegacyStory of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (NEW)Red Dead Redemption II

* Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data. Some publishers, including Nintendo, do not share certain digital data for this report.