NPD Group reports a 21-year low for August game sales
As Madden NFL 20 and Nintendo Switch retain monthly US sales leads
Dollar sales of US video games in August 2019 slumped to their lowest total in an August month since 1998, according to data from market research firm the NPD Group.
Monthly software sales fell 24% year-over-year to $257 million, although year-to-date dollar sales remain up 1% at $3.1 billion, driven by Switch games.
Madden NFL 20 – currently the third best-selling game of 2019 – held the No.1 spot on the monthly chart, ahead of Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V, while Astral Chain was the only new release to make the top 10.
Hardware spending in August 2019 fell 22% year-over-year to $167 million.
With Xbox One and PS4 sales in decline ahead of the arrival of next-gen consoles, year-to-date hardware spending is down 21% year-over-year to $1.6 billion, with Switch the only platform to record year-on-year growth.
Combined hardware, software and accessory sales in August 2019 were $666 million, down 18% from August 2018. Year-to-date consumer spending on gaming products is down 6% year-over-year to $7 billion.
August 2019 top 20 US games
- Madden NFL 20
- Minecraft#
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses*
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Super Mario Maker 2*
- Mario Kart 8*
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- Astral Chain
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
- Age of Wonders: Planetfall
- Super Mario Party*
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order*
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
- The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
* Digital sales not included
^ PC digital sales not included
# Minecraft digital sales on PS4 and Xbox One included
Top 10 selling games in 2019
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Madden NFL 20^
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2^
- Anthem^
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Resident Evil 2
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Days Gone
* Digital sales not included
^ PC digital sales not included
# Minecraft digital sales on PS4 and Xbox One included
