What you need to know
- Analytics group Circana provides details every month on U.S. video game hardware and software sales.
- Per Circana, the Xbox Series X is now outselling the Xbox Series S in the U.S. as of September 2024, comprising 58% of units sold in the month.
- PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of the month, with Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch second in dollar sales and units sold, respectively.
- All three consoles were down year-over-year.
There’s interesting new insights in the world of video game hardware.
Microsoft’s higher-end Xbox Series X is now outselling the Xbox Series S in the U.S, with the big boy taking up 58% of units sold in September 2024, per Circana executive director and advisor Mat Piscatella, who shared the details on Wednesday in a thread on Bluesky. Xbox Series X now accounts for 51% of Xbox Series X|S console sales in the U.S, life-to-date.
The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of September 2024 overall, with Xbox Series X|S second in dollar sales and Nintendo Switch second in units sold. Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo hardware was down 54%, 45%, and 23% year-over-year, for a total drop of 44% in hardware spending for the month compared to September 2023.
Below, you can find details for the best-selling games of the month. Bear in mind that some publishers like Nintendo and Focus Entertainment don’t share digital data, throwing off the placement for games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
September 2024 Circana: Here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
1. EA Sports FC 25
2. Astro Bot
3. Madden NFL 25
4. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom*
5. EA Sports College Football 25
6. Star Wars Outlaws
7. NBA 2K25*
8. Hogwarts Legacy
9. NHL 25
10. God of War Ragnarok
11. Dead Rising
12. Final Fantasy 16
13. Elden Ring
14. Minecraft****
15. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
16. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
17. Age of Mythology
18. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2*
19. Ghost of Tsushima
20. EA Sports MVP Bundle
September 2024 Circana: Here are the best-selling games of the year so far
1. EA Sports College Football 25
2. Helldivers 2
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
4. EA Sports MVP Bundle
5. Elden Ring
6. Dragon’s Dogma 2
7. Madden NFL 25
8. MLB The Show 24**
9. WWE 2K24**
10. EA Sports FC 25
11. Hogwarts Legacy
12. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
13. Tekken 8
14. NBA 2K24**
15. Grand Theft Auto V**
16. Madden NFL 24
17. Minecraft****
18. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
19. EA Sports FC 24
20. Persona 3 Reload
*Denotes no digital sales data
**Denotes no digital sales data on Xbox or Nintendo Switch
***Denotes no digital sales data for July through September
****Denotes no digital sales data on Nintendo
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Analysis: Intriguing split, but console hardware looks rough
My questions about what the fall looks like haven’t been answered just yet.
The evergreen gaming franchises are continuing to excel, with tremendous performance from EA Sports FC 25, which is up a double-digit percentage compared to the launch of FC 24 last year. It’s also nice to see PlayStation’s Astro Bot making a solid debut.
Still, the drops around console hardware are rough, there’s simply no other way to put it. Many have their hopes pinned on big games coming next year, such as Grand Theft Auto 6 and Monster Hunter Wilds, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough of a solution.
It’s fairly telling to me that the lower-powered, lower-priced Xbox Series S is now being outsold by the Xbox Series X. Hardcore players might be interested in upgrading, but the more casual audience simply isn’t moving on from their decade-old hardware.
