Consumer spending on new physical video games in the U.S. increased by 5 percent year-over-year in August, a rise primarily attributed to a substantial increase in game-key card sales, according to data from Circana.
This marks the first time in over a decade that new physical software sales have shown growth. Mat Piscatella of Circana explained that the number of titles published as game-key cards jumped from 10 last year to 64 this year, a 631-percent increase in spending on these products. This surge offset a 3-percent drop in sales for other physical game formats.
The availability of game-key cards, particularly for the Nintendo Switch 2, was a major factor. Piscatella noted that publishers are leaning more into this format, and consumers are showing a greater appetite for physical games on the Switch 2 compared to other consoles.
Despite the positive trend in physical software, overall spending on content saw a 10-percent decrease year-over-year, totaling $4.3 billion. This decline was mainly due to a significant drop in mobile spending, though console content spending also decreased. PC content and subscription spending, however, both saw increases.
August's best-selling game was NBA 2K27, followed by Madden NFL 27, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Madden’s Kickoff Bundle, and Star Wars: Zero Company. NBA 2K27 is now the third best-selling game of the year so far.
Several titles experienced notable jumps in the sales charts. Elden Ring climbed from 41st place in July to 7th in August following its release on the Switch 2. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 moved from 31st to 11th, potentially boosted by recent film-related hype. Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece saw a significant leap from 159th to 26th, likely due to reveals at D23 and a Steam sale. The indie title Big Walk also managed to crack the top 10.
Accessory spending rose by 3 percent, while total hardware spending decreased by 3 percent. PlayStation 5 dollar sales increased by 17 percent, but this was not enough to offset spending declines on Xbox and Switch 2, which dropped 13 percent each. Unit sales for new hardware were down 15 percent year-over-year, reaching the lowest total for an August month since 2013. PlayStation hardware unit sales were down 11 percent, Xbox down 31 percent, and Nintendo down 15 percent. The average price for a new hardware unit was reported at $541.