Analytics: For the first time in 17 years, annual physical game sales have increased in the US, thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2
In recent years, gamers have increasingly purchased games in digital form, leading to a decline in physical edition sales. However, there was recently a slight rise in the popularity of discs and cartridges in the U.S.
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As calculated by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, by the end of the 12 months ending in May 2026, the sales of physical game editions in the U.S. reached $1.6 billion. This marks a 3% increase compared to the previous year. Although the surge is relatively small, it remains a significant event—the last time any growth was witnessed was back in 2009.
Annual physical game sales in the U.S. from 2007 to 2026, covering a 12-month period ending in May
Piscatella attributed the growth in physical sales to the success of the Nintendo Switch 2 console in the American market. According to the analyst’s estimates, revenue from cartridge sales for the Nintendo ecosystem increased roughly by 26% over the year.
However, Piscatella believes that the growth is temporary.
“Sales on other platforms are currently experiencing double-digit declines. […]. At some point, everything will bottom out—perhaps we are already approaching that point. That’s when console manufacturers will stop producing devices with disc drives,” Piscatella concluded.