All articles tagged with #circana
Sony’s PS5 side-scroller God of War: Sons of Sparta, developed by Mega Cat Studios and shadow-dropped during a State of Play, quietly climbed February 2026 Circana revenue charts, landing 14th overall and 6th among PS5 titles while priced at $29.99, underscoring a market for smaller, first‑party projects despite mixed reception.
US February data from Circana shows the PS5 was the lead platform for Resident Evil Requiem with a meaningful margin over PC, though the game’s total dollar sales were spread across formats including Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 (PS5 sales were under 50% of the total). Globally the game has sold about 6 million copies and is the fastest-selling entry in the series, underscoring that consoles remain a major market for Capcom as the company broadens its audience.
Circana reports US video game spending rose 3% year over year in January to $4.3B, led by a 23% jump in non-mobile subscription services ($596M). Hardware spend climbed 16% to $248M, with Nintendo Switch 2 helping offset declines for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. In software, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and NBA 2K26 topped the Top 20, Madden NFL 26 rose, Battlefield 6 fell, and Final Fantasy VII Remake jumped into the Top 10 after new Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S versions. Mobile content dipped overall.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for Switch 2 debuts at No. 2 in Circana's January 2026 US Nintendo platform charts, behind Pokémon Legends: Z-A and ahead of Donkey Kong Bananza, with FF7R rising from 225th in December to 9th in January due to the Switch 2/Xbox release; Pokémon Legends: Z-A fell to 16th. Hardware spending rose 16% year over year, with Switch 2 spending offsetting declines across PS5, Xbox Series, and the older Switch, while PS5 still led hardware overall. The article also notes a Switch 2 release date for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and mentions a Switch 2 demo and review link.
Circana's January 2026 US sales data place Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 at the top of 2026 so far, with NBA 2K26, Madden NFL 26, Minecraft, and Battlefield 6 rounding out the top five; Code Vein II was the sole January 2026 new release at No. 11, Final Fantasy VII Remake jumped on Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S, GTA 6 lands November 19, 2026, and overall software spending rose 3% YoY to $4.3B, driven by a 23% rise in gaming subscriptions.
US video game spending is forecast to rise 3% to $62.8 billion in 2026 per Circana, led by Switch 2 sales, Grand Theft Auto 6, and growth in subscriptions, with the possibility of topping the 2021 high of $61.7 billion; hardware might face headwinds from higher component costs, while GTA 6 and other major titles are expected to boost software and accessories, and rumors of a PS6 delay to 2028–2029 reflect memory/storage constraints.
Circana’s 2025 US software sales data show Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 finishing the year at fifth in dollar sales—the franchise’s lowest position since 2008’s World at War—despite December’s top spot, with Game Pass likely curbing traditional sales and competing titles like Battlefield 6, NBA 2K26, Borderlands 4, and Monster Hunter Wilds outperforming it; Activision denied any drastic rethinking of the series.
Circanaul December 2025 US sales report shows Nintendo Switch 2 leading the hardware market in both units and dollars, with total US Switch 2 sales at 4.4 million and nearly doubling the calendar-aligned installed base of the original Switch. The Switch 2 is the fastest-selling hardware platform in tracked history and sits about 35% ahead of the PlayStation 4ree pace after seven months on the market, while the Switch Pro Controller was 2025ree top-selling accessory, helping offset declines across other platforms.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently outselling Mario Kart World in the US, with the former rising in sales rankings despite the Nintendo Switch's larger user base and digital sales not being included.
The absence of Alan Wake 2 from Circana's sales charts is not indicative of poor sales, but rather a lack of data reporting. Circana does not have access to data on every game sale, particularly from publishers like Nintendo and Epic Games. However, Ampere Analysis estimates that Alan Wake 2 sold around 850,000 copies on consoles alone by the end of November. While this may seem low for a highly anticipated AAA game, it is comparable to the first-year sales of Remedy's previous title, Control. The absence of a physical release for Alan Wake 2 may have saved Remedy money, and word-of-mouth could contribute to its long-term success.
Hogwarts Legacy is poised to dethrone Call of Duty as the best-selling game of the year in the US, according to Circana's monthly report on video game sales. While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling game in November, Hogwarts Legacy has been outselling it consistently and could end the year as the top seller. This would mark the first time since 2008 that a game other than Call of Duty or a Rockstar title claimed the number one spot. The decline in hardware sales is also noted, with all three current generation consoles experiencing a decline of over 20% in dollar sales compared to last year. However, the situation is expected to level off in early 2024.
According to Circana's sales rankings, Hogwarts Legacy is currently outselling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, making it the best-selling game of 2023 so far. While Modern Warfare 3's sales are reportedly down from the previous year, it is important to note that it has only been a couple of weeks since its release, while Hogwarts Legacy has been available since February. Other notable games on the list include Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for Sony. Activision has three games in the top 10, and Microsoft's Starfield has also performed well despite being available on Xbox and PC Game Pass. However, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Final Fantasy XVI seem to have lower sales than expected.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has fallen out of the top 20 best-selling games in the United States for the first time since its release in 2017. The game had maintained its position in the top 20 for 78 consecutive months, but was pushed out in October due to a surge of new releases. However, it remains Nintendo's best-selling Switch title and is expected to make a comeback soon.
According to sales data from Circana, Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield was the best-selling game in the US for September 2023, despite being available on Xbox Game Pass. The PlayStation 5 was the top-selling console for the month, followed by Xbox Series consoles. Starfield's success highlights the impact of Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, and its long lifespan is expected to make it a staple for Xbox players in the coming years.
According to analyst Mat Piscatella, one new Wii U was sold in the US in September, marking the first sale since May 2022. Despite the console's troubled history and discontinuation, the lucky buyer will have access to exclusive games not available on the Nintendo Switch. The Wii U struggled with third-party support and fell behind competitors like the PS4 and Xbox One, leading to the successful transition to the Nintendo Switch.