Circana
Circana business and news from across the web.
PS5 And Xbox Series X Both Didn’t Sell Very Well In MayPlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S experienced a significant drop in unit sales in May, despite an overall increase in hardware spending. Sony sold 58% fewer PS5 units compared to May 2025, marking the lowest May sales since 2000. Xbox unit sales fell 12%, the worst May performance since its launch, though Microsoft saw hardware spending increase due to price hikes. The Nintendo Switch continued its success, offsetting the declines of the other consoles.- US: Nintendo Switch 2 sold nearly 6 million units first year and is second fastest-selling video game systemThe Nintendo Switch has sold nearly 6 million units in the United States during its first year, according to Circana. This sales figure makes it the second fastest-selling video game system in the US market. Circana tracks video game software and hardware sales across the United States.
Circana: Nintendo Switch 2 helped US physical game spending increase year-on-year for first time since 2009US physical game spending saw a 3% year-on-year increase to $1.6 billion for the 12 months ending May 2026, marking the first rise since 2009. Market tracker Circana attributes this to the "Switch 2 bump," with physical software sales on Nintendo platforms up 26%, though other ecosystems continue to decline. This is considered a likely temporary blip before physical drives are phased out.
GTA 6 not having a physical disk won't have any impact on Rockstar's sales, analyst predicts, and it might be…Industry analyst Mat Piscatella predicts that Grand Theft Auto 6's digital-only release will not negatively impact its sales, despite fan concerns. He argues that the increasing prevalence of consoles without disc drives and the potential for retailers to benefit from code-in-a-box sales mitigate any potential loss. Piscatella also noted that calls for boycotts often lead to increased sales.
Here Are The "Top 200" Best-Selling Nintendo 64 Games In The USCircana has released a list of the top 200 best-selling Nintendo 64 games in the US, ranked by unit sales. The data, compiled by Mat Piscatella, focuses exclusively on games sold on cartridge for the N64 and does not include later ports. The list highlights classic Nintendo intellectual property among the top titles.
Apr 2026 USA Sales: Unremarkable Start for Saros on PS5, as Circana Adds Digital ProjectionsCircana's April 2026 US sales report, which now includes projected digital sales for publishers like Nintendo, shows Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream as the best-selling game. Saros had a soft debut on PlayStation 5, ranking ninth, while Starfield saw a significant jump following its PS5 release. The Nintendo Switch outsold the PlayStation 5 in units and revenue, though the PS5 remains ahead of the PS4's launch-aligned performance.
Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream Beat Every Other Game In The US Last MonthUS video game spending reached $4.3 billion in April 2026, a 3% increase year-over-year, with Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream topping sales charts. Nintendo's Switch 2 was the best-selling hardware platform, driving a 44% increase in new physical software sales.
New consumer survey finds exclusives are the number one reason people play on a console, but is there more to it than that?A new survey by Circana reveals that 41% of console gamers cite exclusive titles as their primary reason for choosing a platform, though this figure has decreased by eight points from the previous year. Despite the importance of exclusives for hardware sales, popular non-exclusive live service games like Fortnite and Call of Duty continue to dominate player engagement across PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
ESA Canada Reveals Resident Evil Requiem is Canada's Top Selling Game For Mach 2026 | Console CreaturesResident Evil Requiem was Canada's top-selling game in March 2026, according to data released by ESA Canada and Circana. The monthly rankings also featured titles like MLB The Show 26, WWE 2K26, Marathon, and various sports games. Digital sales for Pokémon Pokopia were excluded from the March rankings.- ESA Canada Reveals Resident Evil Requiem is Canada's Top Selling Game For March 2026 | Console CreaturesEntertainment Software Association Canada has reported that Resident Evil Requiem was the top-selling game in Canada for March 2026. The monthly rankings also featured titles like MLB The Show 26, WWE 2K26, Marathon, and various sports games, with data compiled in collaboration with Circana.
Why Xbox took Call of Duty out of Game PassXbox has announced that Call of Duty titles will now be added to Game Pass Ultimate approximately one year after launch, rather than at launch. Data from Newzoo suggests that while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 saw a temporary increase in Xbox engagement, it did not translate to sustained sales, indicating that Game Pass may be cannibalizing premium purchases.
Despite the negativity, Marathon was one of last month's best-selling games, though there's a catchDespite significant negativity, Bungie's Marathon was a top seller by revenue in the US during March and has maintained a notable player count on Steam. However, the game's high development cost and Sony's acquisition of Bungie suggest it may not yet be the commercial success anticipated, especially considering its player count has dropped since launch.
After just 2 months, Resident Evil Requiem is already one of the top 5 best-selling games in US series historyResident Evil Requiem has achieved significant sales success in the US, becoming one of the top five best-selling games in the franchise's history within just two months of its release. According to Mat Piscatella of Circana, the game trails only Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 4 (2023), Resident Evil Village, and the original Resident Evil 4 in all-time US dollar sales.
US Gaming Sales Data for March 2026 Shows Beasties Can't Beat BaseballCircana's March 2026 US gaming sales data reveals MLB The Show 26 as the top-selling game for the month, surpassing Resident Evil Requiem. Despite strong performances from other titles like WWE 2K26 and Marathon, baseball and wrestling games dominated the charts. The Nintendo Switch led hardware sales, with the PlayStation 5 in second place, while the Xbox Series X|S showed declining performance.
Ubisoft reportedly cancels life-simulator project AlterraUbisoft has reportedly cancelled its life simulator project, codenamed Alterra, with affected employees being reassigned to other projects. The game, described as an Animal Crossing-style title with voxel creation, had been in development for about 18 months at Ubisoft Montréal. This cancellation follows Ubisoft's recent introduction of a Creative House structure and other cost-cutting measures, including the discontinuation of three other games and studio closures.
These New Releases Gave Game Spending A Much-Needed Boost In MarchUS video game spending reached $5.3 billion in March, a 12% increase year-over-year, driven by new releases like Crimson Desert, MLB The Show 26, and Pokemon Pokopia. Hardware spending also saw a significant 69% jump, with the Nintendo Switch 2 leading sales, followed by the PlayStation 5.
Arc Raiders and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 help show "mid-price is the new sweet spot" for games, analysts…Analysts at Newzoo identify the $30-$50 price range as the new sweet spot for PC and console games, citing titles like Arc Raiders and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as examples of successful mid-priced releases. This trend emerges as the overall cost of gaming increases, with players seeking better value between indie and premium $70 titles.- PS5-försäljningen rusade inför prishöjningenFollowing Sony's announcement of global price increases for PlayStation consoles, US sales of the PlayStation 5 hardware saw a significant surge, reaching their highest point of the year during the week ending April 4th. The price hike, which took effect on April 2nd, has led to increased hardware sales compared to the previous year.
Crimson Desert players average over 20 hours a week in the open-world game, blowing away almost everything else on…Crimson Desert players are averaging over 20 hours per week, with US players on Xbox averaging 20 hours and PlayStation players averaging 22 hours in the week ending March 28. This playtime places Crimson Desert as the top game on Xbox and second on PlayStation for average weekly hours per active user, according to Circana's Mat Piscatella. The game also saw a significant increase in total weekly active users across both platforms.
Epic Games lays off over 1000 employees, blames declining interest in FortniteEpic Games has laid off over 1000 employees, citing a significant downturn in Fortnite engagement and financial losses. CEO Tim Sweeney stated that the company is spending more than it earns, necessitating these cuts and other cost-saving measures. Concurrently, Epic announced the shutdown of several Fortnite modes, including Rocket Racing and Festival Battle Stage, due to a failure to attract and retain a large player base.