Physical game sales in the United States have reached their lowest monthly level since 1995, according to recent US Monthly Charts data

Physical software sales in the United States dropped to an all-time low of $85 million in July, marking the lowest figure recorded since Circana began its monitoring in 1995.

With Sony planning to cease physical game production from January 2028, PlayStation accounted for 32% of the market for new physical games, whereas Nintendo's share stood at 63%.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shared insights stating that seven titles for PlayStation have surpassed 100,000 physical copies sold in the U.S. Historically, however, only two had more than 10,000 units sold during the week ending July 11.

There was a 29% decline in hardware spending year-over-year, amounting to $282 million, the smallest July total since it was $163 million in 2020.

Sales by unit decreased by 39% from the previous year as the average price rose by 16%, now $542, due to increased costs for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch products.

The launch of the Switch 2 last June saw unprecedented numbers, contributing significantly to hardware sales. These sales are further influenced by ongoing shortages in RAM and other components.

Piscatella mentioned, "The selling rates for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series have been heavily affected, with impending price adjustments for the Nintendo Switch 2 scheduled for September 1."

Unit sales declined for all systems: PlayStation 5 saw a 6% drop, Xbox Series 18%, and Switch 2 faced a 51% fall. Despite these declines, Switch 2 led in units sold for July, while PlayStation 5 led in terms of revenue.

According to Circana, the Switch has outpaced its predecessor by 11% in terms of comparable sales after 14 months on the market.

Overall spending on video game content, hardware, and accessories decreased by 10% year-over-year, reaching $4.5 billion in July, even with six new titles in the Top 10.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 topped the charts in July following the release of its PS4 and PS5 versions. The first Black Ops also saw new attention, landing in fifth place.

In full-dollar sales, EA Sports College Football 27 was second. If its sales were combined with the EA Sports MVP Bundle (2026), it would have surpassed Black Ops 2.

Other titles released in July included Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, Halo: Campaign Evolved, Splatoon Raiders, and Echoes of Aincrad: Sword Art Online.

Content expenditures went down 9% to $4.1 billion, primarily due to reduced mobile spending. However, Pokémon Go experienced a 230% monthly revenue surge reaching third place, aided by its 10th anniversary festivities.

AppMagic estimated that Pokémon Go generated over $48.5 million through in-app purchases during its anniversary week, aligning with the Road to Legends event from July 6 to July 12.

The celebration included raids featuring legendary Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, and Mega-Evolved Pokémon, along with other unlocks leading up to Pokémon Go Fest: Global.

Here are Circana's projected top 10 best-selling games from July 5 to August 8, 2026:

Rank	Last month rank	Title
1	67	Call of Duty: Black Ops 2*
2	NEW	EA Sports College Football 27*
3	NEW	Assassin's Creed: Black Flag: Resynced*
4	NEW	EA Sports MVP Bundle (2026)*
5	150	Call of Duty: Black Ops*
6	NEW	Halo: Campaign Evolved*
7	NEW	Splatoon Raiders*
8	NEW	Echoes of Aincrad: Sword Art Online^
9	6	Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream*
10	3	007 First Light*

* Includes Digital Sales Projections