October was a strong month for the gaming industry, with eight of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. being new releases.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 topped the charts, contributing to a 10% year-over-year increase in U.S. video game spending, which reached $4.7 billion.
According to Circana’s monthly report (via IGN), Black Ops 6 is already the third best-selling game of the year and saw sales 23% higher in its first two weeks than last year's Modern Warfare 3 over the same period.
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Mat Piscatella of Circana noted that 82% of the game's full dollar sales came from PlayStation 5, likely because Xbox players opted to access the game through Game Pass instead of purchasing it outright.
The availability of Black Ops 6 on Game Pass appears to have driven growth in video game subscription spending, which increased 16% year-over-year in October.
This suggests that the game attracted new subscribers to Microsoft Corp. ( MSFT )‘s platform while maintaining strong sales elsewhere.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero secured the second spot on October's sales charts and became the best-selling Dragon Ball game in the U.S. The game is also now the third best-selling title in Bandai Namco Holdings ADR’s (OTC:NCBDY) history, following Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3.
The Silent Hill 2 remake came in third and is now the second best-selling game in the franchise, second only to the original Silent Hill 2.
The Final Fantasy I-VI Collection moved up from No. 90 in September to No. 19 in October, likely due to a significant price drop on Nintendo ADR‘s (OTC:NTDOY) Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, Sifu climbed to No. 9 on Xbox's monthly active users chart after being added to Game Pass.
Hardware sales saw a 23% decline compared to last year. Nintendo Switch sales dropped 38%, while PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series sales were down 20% and 18%, respectively. The PlayStation 5 remains the top-selling console in both units and dollar sales, with Xbox Series consoles in second place.
In accessories, spending increased by 15%, with Sony Group Corp ( SONY )'s PlayStation Portal becoming the month's best-selling item.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
Silent Hill 2
Undisputed
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Super Mario Party Jamboree!*
Madden NFL 25
Sonic X Shadow Generations
EA Sports FC 25
EA Sports College Football 25
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom*
Hogwarts Legacy
NHL 25
Astro Bot
Minecraft*
NBA 2K25
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
Final Fantasy I-VI Bundle
Elden Ring
(*Digital sales data for some titles are not included in Circana's report.)
As the year approaches its final months, upcoming Black Friday deals may impact both hardware and software sales.
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