Tag: Usa
News PS5 Outsold by an Unexpected Rival in the Run Up to Black Friday
Well bam, there it is
An interesting datapoint from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reveals the PS5 was outsold by an unexpected US-based rival in the run up to Black Friday last week. While the Switch 2 being top-selling hardware SKU for the week ending 22nd November won’t come as a massive surprise, the NEX Playground Interactive Gaming System...
News New Report Finds Almost Half of US Kids Are After In-Game Currency for Christmas
Good luck wrapping that
In a sign of the times that makes us feel old, a new report has found that nearly half of the USA's children are planning to ask for in-game currencies this Christmas. A survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) asked over 700 kids about video game gifts, with nearly three out of five respondents...
News PS5 Exclusive Ghost of Yotei Is One of the USA's Best-Selling Games of 2025
No masking it
There's been an unusual, negative narrative surrounding the sales momentum of Ghost of Yotei, but when it comes down to the hard facts, the PS5 exclusive is doing very well for itself. As revealed in Circana's USA sales data for the month of October, Ghost of Yotei came in as the third best-selling game of the month, behind...
News Oct 2025 USA Sales: 2025's Best Seller Is Battlefield 6, the Biggest Game in Series History
The battle is won
There's no two ways about it: Battlefield 6 is a smash hit. According to Circana's October sales data for the USA, EA's first-person shooter has knocked it out of the park, already becoming the biggest game in the franchise's history and 2025's best selling game to date. As always, this stems from Circana's Mat Piscatella,...
News Sep 2025 USA Sales: Ghost of Yotei PS5 Boycott Fails, Sequel Sells 'Great'
PS5 unit sales up 10% month-over-month
There was a small pocket of social media users who insisted Ghost of Yotei would be a failure. Unfortunately for them, the Sucker Punch sequel has done “great”. A vocal minority of the terminally online took umbrage with the release’s heroine, as well as some industry drama involving employees at the...
News PS4's Record-Setting US Sales Pace Is Being Comfortably Beaten by Switch 2
5% ahead over first three months
PS4 is no longer the fastest-selling console in the US, according to Circana sales data. As we touched upon earlier in the week, over its first three months on the market, the Switch 2 has beaten Sony’s sales record by 5%. According to analyst Mat Piscatella, writing on
News People Don't Buy Anywhere Near As Many Games As You Think
"Hyper enthusiasts are keeping things going"
Think about how many games release every single month. And then consider that more than 60% of US players purchase fewer than two new releases per year. It doesn’t really make economical sense, does it? And it’s why we often frown at the idea of publishers making shorter, cheaper software so we can...
News Aug 2025 USA Sales: Massive Month for Single Player Games, PS5 Can't Catch Switch 2
Helldivers 2 doesn't chart on Xbox, but could be an error
August 2025 was a big month for single player games, with both Mafia: The Old Country and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater charting third and fourth respectively on the all-formats best-sellers list. Neither game could overcome NBA 2K26 or Madden NFL 26 as you’d expect, but these are...
News Nifty New PS5 Merch Spotlights Some of Sony's Most Beloved Brands
All arriving in Walmart
Sony may be shutting down its official PlayStation Gear store, but merch is becoming an increasingly important part of its business. It’s no surprise, then, it’s partnering with Walmart on a bunch of exclusive items inspired by some of its most beloved brands. These products will be available both online and in select...
News Jul 2025 USA Sales: PS5 Hardware Tumbles 47% Year-Over-Year in Tough Month
Switch 2 powers sector to growth, though
After a very good month of USA sales in June 2025, PS5 slumped to a bit of a stinker in July 2025, registering a 47% decline in dollar sales year-over-year. Remember, this precedes the system’s price increase on 21st August, so it’s going to be fascinating to see what kind of impact that has. This was a...
News Jun 2025 USA Sales: PS4's Record Launch Month Stomped by Switch 2
Let the battles begin
Sony no longer holds the record for USA launch month sales. As expected, the Nintendo Switch 2’s humongous 1.6 million opening has stomped the PS4’s still impressive 1.1 million debut. It’s perhaps worth remembering that the PS5 probably had a shot at putting up similar numbers back in 2020, but it dropped in the thick...
News May 2025 USA Sales: PS5 the Only Console with Growth as Xbox Price Hike Proves Costly
Elden Ring: Nightreign a best-seller
Year-on-year, PS5 was the only console to see growth in May, as the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X|S saw spending decline quite dramatically. There is context for this, of course — especially on the Nintendo side of things. The imminent arrival of the Switch 2 meant that general interest in its predecessor...
News Apr 2025 USA Sales: PS5 Ports Award Microsoft's Forza Horizon 5, Indiana Jones Huge Boosts
Indiana Jones up over 100 places
The recently released PS5 versions for Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle have sent overall sales of the games into overdrive in the USA, as confirmed by new Circana data. Forza Horizon 5 was the second-best-selling game of April 2025, beaten only by Oblivion Remastered. The month prior, the open...
News PS5's Share of Active US Players Is Slowly Beginning to Pummel Xbox
Well on top
While those of you who live in Europe and Asia will know Xbox has been little more than a footnote for quite some time, USA has remained somewhat of a battleground for Sony. We know from Circana data that PS5 tends to sell the most units on a monthly basis, but it’s still been somewhat competitive, with Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo...
News PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Are Not the Future of Gaming, Says US Analyst
Growth completely stagnant
For the first few years of this generation, a number of industry analysts argued Sony may need to add first-party games to PS Plus at launch in order to maintain pace with Xbox Game Pass. The Japanese giant, to its credit, always maintained its position that this was unsustainable. It later added tiers to its subscription...
News Mar 2025 USA Sales: Assassin's Creed Shadows Is the Second Best-Selling Game of 2025 So Far
And number one for March
In the USA, Assassin's Creed Shadows has already become one of the year's top-selling titles. In new data from Circana, it's revealed that Ubisoft's open world RPG reached number one for the month of March, and number two in the year-to-date chart, with Monster Hunter Wilds holding onto the top spot. Despite only having...
News Trump's Tariffs Cause Stocks in Japanese Video Game Companies to Collapse
As recession estimates rise
Stocks in practically all major Japanese video game companies have been torpedoed by US president Donald Trump’s tariffs. At the time of writing, Sony is down by as much as 13% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, but Nintendo is following a similar trajectory. As we publish this, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark is down 6%...
News Enjoy Iconic US Magazine Game Informer's Back Catalogue for Free
Original editorial team restored
Game Informer, the long-running US gaming magazine unceremoniously shut down by retailer GameStop last year, is back. In one of the most unexpected announcements of the year thus far, Gunzilla Games has announced it’s acquired the publication from its previous owners, and has reassembled the entire original...
News Feb 2025 USA Sales: Monster Hunter Wilds the New Best-Selling Game of the Year So Far
Launch month dollar sales double MH Rise
Monster Hunter Wilds has been named the new best-selling video game of 2025 so far in the USA, with its launch sales enough to push it into the top position. Circana data reveals that the game's launch month dollar sales were 40 per cent higher than Monster Hunter World, and double that of Monster Hunter...
News PS5 Sales Continue to Outpace PS4 in the USA, the Best-Selling System Last Month
Maintains 7% gap over PS4 purchases
New sales data from Circana reveals the PS5 has maintained its lead over PS4 console purchases in the USA, with fresh launch-aligned figures confirming the current-gen box has still sold seven per cent more systems than PS4 managed at the same point in its lifespan. Data covers 52 months of USA sales, and PS5...
News PS5 Consoles May Cost More and Physical Games Could Be Killed by US Tariffs, Analysts Warn
Bleak
As pledged, the US government has introduced tariffs on goods imported from China, Canada, and Mexico. According to analysts, these measures will have a profound impact on the games industry at large, including PS5 games and consoles. For those who haven’t been following the news, the United States has placed 25% tax on virtually all...
News Sony's Pricey PS5 Pro Is Now Being Outpaced by PS4 Pro Launch Aligned in the US
Sticker shock
Sony’s mid-gen hardware upgrade PS5 Pro enjoyed a similar start to its predecessor PS4 Pro in the United States, but now it’s started to fall behind. That’s according to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, who was speaking as part of the January 2025 sales results, which saw the industry slump to a
News Jan 2025 USA Sales: PC Ports Boost Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Spider-Man 2
PS5 sells best, but spending is down
Last month's PC ports of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 allowed the two former PS5 exclusives to chart once again in the USA, selling well enough to earn the third and sixth positions for January 2025 respectively. The best-selling game of the month was a carryover from December, with Call of...
News Embattled US Retailer Trolls Customers for Picking Digital During PSN Outage on PS5, PS4
"Bet y'all want physical games now"
US retailer GameStop – whose entire flagging business model is built around customers buying physical games – took a swipe at customers during the PSN outage this weekend, as it mocked players for overwhelmingly purchasing digital games. “Bet y’all want physical games now,” it said in response to the...
News Your Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive PS5 Imports Will Not Be Affected by US Postal Service Changes
Play Asia says it's business as usual
In news you’re almost certainly already aware of, the US Postal Service has stopped accepting parcels shipped from mainland China and Hong Kong. This obviously has various consequences for those in the US hoping to import items, but one common concern we’d seen is what this means for physical pre-orders of...
News Browse a Colossal Library of Classic US Video Game Magazines Now
Including old-school PlayStation mags
The Video Game History Foundation has opened its digital library, which includes thousands of classic video game magazines, archived in their entirety with full text search support. The project – which also expands to other pieces of ephemera, such as old event guides, tips books, and press materials –...
News In the US, PS5 Is Selling Much Faster Than PS4 At a Higher Price
Increases gap in 2024
There’s been much doom and gloom about the PS5’s performance, but in the US at least, it’s selling faster than the PS4 at a higher price. Even more pertinently, it increased its advantage on the last-gen console in 2024. <related ids="177226"> Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reports that, through December 2024,...
News Dec 2024 USA Sales: PS5 Best-Selling System of the Year, PS Portal Best-Selling Accessory
Sony had another big year
It’s business as usual for PS5 in Circana’s USA sales report for December 2024, as Sony’s system was the month’s top-selling console yet again, despite dipping 18% year-over-year. It’s important to remember that the device had a particularly strong 2024, so these are still very respectable numbers. Both the...
News Concern Proposed Tariffs Could Accelerate Downturn in Physical PS5 Games
And potentially push prices higher
On the PS5, there’s still a small market for physical games, which means the vast majority of major titles still release at retail. However, there’s concern that proposed tariffs on imported goods from Mexico could accelerate the rate at which boxed games go away. Speaking at his inauguration earlier this...
News PS5 Tipped to Top Switch 2 Sales in the US This Year
Here comes a new challenger
PS5 is expected to outsell the Switch 2 in the United States this year, despite enthusiasm for Nintendo’s new machine reaching fever pitch. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella says he anticipates the unannounced appliance to sell 4.3 million units in USA this year, assuming it’s released in the first half of 2025...
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 PS5 Sales Still Trending 8% Ahead of the PS4 in USA
Despite initial shortages and high prices
Despite doom and gloom surrounding the console market, the PS5 is still trending around 8% ahead of the PS4 launch aligned in USA, despite its higher price point and pandemic-induced stock shortages. Given the challenges of the global economy, Sony will consider this a success. Mat Piscatella confirmed the...
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 PS5 Pro Could Cost Almost $1,000 if Proposed Tariffs Are Imposed
Price hike
If you already think PS5 Pro is overpriced, then it could be about to get even more expensive in the US – and potentially through no fault of Sony’s own. Gizmodo reports that, following Donald Trump’s election victory earlier this week, he could impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese exports once he assumes office in January next...
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...
News PS5's Astro Bot the USA's Second Best-Selling Game in Its First Week
"Solid week one," says analyst
While the Circana (NPD) report for September's US video game sales has yet to be released, the firm's own Mat Piscatella has weighed in on Astro Bot's sales performance thus far. Unfortunately, we haven't seen official figures from Sony (and probably won't unless they're truly noteworthy), and have so far had to rely...
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 Pour One Out for Iconic US Gaming Mag Game Informer
Magazine shuttered after 33 years
After an epic 33 year run, iconic US gaming tome Game Informer is no more. The magazine, which published its first issue all the way back in 1991, was shuttered today by parent company GameStop. There’ll be no final issue or fond farewells, as all current staff have been laid off effective immediately. At the time...
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 —...
Deals Sony Goes for the Jugular with Humongous PS5, PSVR2 Discounts in USA
Consoles! Games! Headsets! More!
Sony has plunged the price of the PS5 and PSVR2 in the United States, as it looks to build on the brand’s momentum moving into the holidays. Right now, across a variety of retailers, you can snag a PS5 Slim for $449.99 and a PSVR2 headset for $349.99. The Digital Edition model, which is a little harder to find, is...
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 Fallout Franchise Sales Explode Like Megaton in Amazon Show Aftermath
Every entry is up
Curious about the kind of profound effect a popular television show can have on the sales of video game franchise? Just look at these latest numbers for the Fallout series in the aftermath of Amazon’s enormous adaptation. In the United States, sales of all titles in the post-apocalyptic property jumped significantly...
News PS5's Streaming Handheld PS Portal Is Proving a Huge Hit
A whole new world
Back when the PS Portal was rumoured and subsequently announced, social media was filled with armchair executives deeming the device to be a disaster. As it turns out, Sony understands the market better than many people think, and its PS5 streaming handheld has become a lynchpin of its new-gen console’s overall experience...
News Xbox Games Are Selling Gangbusters on PS5
Surely more will follow
While the sales of single player titles Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment have been a little more muted, Xbox Game Studios’ two live service titles are selling like crazy on PS5, giving Microsoft all the incentive it needs to port more titles to Sony’s system. Originally, the Redmond firm’s multiformat release strategy was...
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 Gaming Subs Like PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Aren't Growing At All
Stagnant for several years now
There was immense pressure on Sony at the beginning of the generation to copy Xbox Game Pass’ model of day one first-party releases, but as time goes by, it’s beginning to look like the Japanese giant dodged a bullet. While it has significantly improved its PS Plus offerings, the platform holder has always argued...
News Helldivers 2 Is Already One of Sony's Best-Ever Sellers in the US
Democracy always wins
This author thought Helldivers 2 was going to be a colossal flop, so it just goes to show how unpredictable this industry can be. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently sits behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the...
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,...
