Gaming fans in the United States didn’t shy away from spending on their hobby in the month before the launch of next-gen consoles. Instead, consumers opened their wallets for big sports games and Nintendo Switch in October. This once again led to year-over-year growth for games-industry spending in the U.S., according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.
| October 2020 Dollar Sales, Millions | Oct’19 | Oct’20 | CHG | |
| Total Video Game Sales | $3,358 | $3,836 | 14% | |
| Video Game Hardware | $183 | $259 | 41% | |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $3,054 | $3,429 | 12% | |
| Video Game Accessories | $121 | $148 | 23% |
Gaming continues to prove its resilience in the face of tumultuous economic times for most people. Industry sales were up in October and the year-so-far compared to the same period in 2019.
“Consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached $3.8 billion in October 2020, 14% higher when compared to a year ago,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “Mobile, subscription, hardware, and accessories were among the largest growth segments. Year-to-date spending totaled $37.5 billion, 20% higher than the same period in 2019.”
| 2020 Year-to-Date Dollar Sales, Millions | 2019 YTD | 2020 YTD | CHG | |
| Total Video Game Sales | $31,260 | $37,495 | 20% | |
| Video Game Hardware | $2,062 | $2,542 | 23% | |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $27,798 | $33,195 | 19% | |
| Video Game Accessories | $1,400 | $1,757 | 25% |
Let’s get to the software sales.
October 2020 NPD: Nintendo Switch leads hardware
NPD tracks physical sales at retailers, but it also gets digital data directly from publishers. But not every company participates. For example, Nintendo doesn’t share its first-party digital sales, and Activision Blizzard does not provide its Battle.net sales, and Take-Two doesn’t always share its digital sales.
| All Platforms | |||
| Rank | Last Month Rank | October 2020 Top 20 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital from the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation, STEAM and Xbox platforms for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | FIFA 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 2 | 3 | Madden NFL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 3 | NEW | Watch Dogs: Legion | Ubisoft |
| 4 | NEW | NHL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | NEW | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | Nintendo |
| 6 | 2 | Super Mario 3D All-Stars* | Nintendo |
| 7 | 8 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 8 | 9 | Star Wars: Squadrons | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 6 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 10 | 11 | Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 11 | 10 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe* | Nintendo |
| 12 | 12 | Ghost of Tsushima | Sony (Corp) |
| 13 | 5 | NBA 2K21* | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| 14 | 1 | Marvel’s Avengers | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 15 | 14 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 16 | 13 | Ring Fit Adventure | Nintendo |
| 17 | 17 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* | Nintendo |
| 18 | 4 | Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 19 | 20 | Super Mario Party* | Nintendo |
| 20 | 16 | New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe* | Nintendo |
It was another strong month for Nintendo software.
“Nine of the top 20 best-selling titles of October were published by Nintendo,” said Piscatella.
But EA Sports games FIFA 21, Madden NFL 21, and NHL 21 made up three of the top four spots on the chart.
FIFA 21
FIFA usually performs well on the NPD charts, but its October 2020 performance suggests the growing appeal of the brand in the United States.
“FIFA 21 was the best-selling game of October, the first time a FIFA franchise release has launched at No. 1 in the U.S. market,” said Piscatella. “FIFA 21 was the best-selling game of October on both PlayStation and Xbox platforms.”
Watch Dogs: Legion
Watch Dogs: Legion launched October 29, which put it at the end of the reporting period. But it was still able to work its way near the top of the chart.
“Watch Dogs: Legion debuted as the third best-selling game of October, despite having only three days of sales tracking in the month,” said Piscatella. “Watch Dogs: Legion was the second best-selling game of the month on Xbox platforms, and third best-selling game of the month on PlayStation platforms.
NHL 21
October was also a strong month for EA’s hockey game.
“NHL 21 entered the charts as the fourth best-selling game of October,” said Piscatella. “Launch month dollar sales were the highest for an NHL release since the September 2015 launch of NHL 16.”
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Nintendo’s remote-controlled Mario Kart toy/game also debuted in October. This $100 bundle comes with an AR-powered car, and that price tag didn’t prevent it from getting off to a fast start.
“Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit ranked as the fifth best-selling game of October, and was the best-selling game on Nintendo platforms,” said Piscatella.
Best-selling games so far in 2020
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Year-to-Date Ending October 2020 Top 10 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital from the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation, STEAM and Xbox platforms for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 2 | 2 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 3 | 4 | Madden NFL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | 3 | The Last of Us: Part II | Sony (Corp) |
| 5 | 5 | Ghost of Tsushima | Sony (Corp) |
| 6 | 6 | Final Fantasy VII: Remake | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 7 | 7 | Marvel’s Avengers | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 8 | 10 | Super Mario 3D All-Stars* | Nintendo |
| 9 | 11 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe* | Nintendo |
| 10 | 8 | Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| * Digital sales not included |
Best-selling games of the last 12 months
| Rank | Last Month Rank | 12 Months Ending October 2020 Top 10 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital from the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation, STEAM and Xbox platforms for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 2 | 2 | Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order | Electronic Arts |
| 3 | 3 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 4 | 6 | Madden NFL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | 5 | The Last of Us: Part II | Sony (Corp) |
| 6 | 4 | Madden NFL 20 | Electronic Arts |
| 7 | 8 | Ghost of Tsushima | Sony (Corp) |
| 8 | 7 | Pokemon: Sword* | Nintendo |
| 9 | 9 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe* | Nintendo |
| 10 | 11 | Final Fantasy VII: Remake | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| * Digital sales not included |
October 2020 NPD: Top 10 best-selling Nintendo games
| Rank | Last Month Rank | October 2020 Top 10 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | Nintendo |
| 2 | 1 | Super Mario 3D All-Stars* | Nintendo |
| 3 | 2 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 4 | 3 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe* | Nintendo |
| 5 | 5 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 6 | 4 | Ring Fit Adventure | Nintendo |
| 7 | 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* | Nintendo |
| 8 | 9 | Super Mario Party* | Nintendo |
| 9 | 6 | New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe* | Nintendo |
| 10 | NEW | Pikmin 3* | Nintendo |
| * Digital sales not included |
October 2020 NPD: Top 10 best-selling PlayStation games
| Rank | Last Month Rank | October 2020 Top 10 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | FIFA 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 2 | 3 | Madden NFL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 3 | NEW | Watch Dogs: Legion | Ubisoft |
| 4 | 5 | Ghost of Tsushima | Sony (Corp) |
| 5 | NEW | NHL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | 7 | Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 7 | 6 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 8 | 8 | Star Wars: Squadrons | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 4 | NBA 2K21* | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| 10 | 1 | Marvel’s Avengers | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| * Digital sales not included |
October 2020 NPD: Top 10 best-selling Xbox games
| Rank | Last Month Rank | October 2020 Top 10 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | FIFA 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 2 | NEW | Watch Dogs: Legion | Ubisoft |
| 3 | 2 | Madden NFL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | NEW | NHL 21 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | 6 | Star Wars: Squadrons | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | 5 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 7 | 8 | Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 8 | 4 | NBA 2K21* | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| 9 | 1 | Marvel’s Avengers | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 10 | 3 | Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| * Digital sales not included |
