Circana: US video game spending hit $4.1 billion in July, with Remnant II becoming best-selling game

Circana (formerly The NPD Group) has shared its monthly breakdown of the US video game market. Let’s take a look at some data on the best-selling titles and consoles of July 2023.

Remnant II

• According to Mat Piscatella, executive director and industry analyst at Circana, total video game spending in the US reached $4.18 billion last month, up 1% year-over-year.
• Content sales, including games, DLC, subscriptions, and in-app purchases, amounted to $3.7 billion, up 2% compared to the same period last year.
• US consumers spent $173 million on accessories, up 8% year-over-year.
• Hardware was the only category to experience a decline in July, falling 19% year-over-year to $292 million.

Will do a full breakdown when I’m back at the office so please forgive the mobile screenshot images, but here we go.

Circana: July 2023 U.S. Video Game Market Results – Remnant 2 was July’s best-selling video game as total spending reached $4.2 billion. pic.twitter.com/fLHA8QQn6l

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) August 21, 2023

• PlayStation 5 was the best-selling hardware in both unit and dollar sales, followed by Nintendo Switch. Sony’s console is also the leader year-to-date, with consumer spending reaching $2.9 billion (up 17% from the same period in 2022).
• Remnant II topped the US charts in July, dethroning Diablo IV. The two other new releases in the top 20 best-selling titles of the month are Pikmin 4 (6th) and Exoprimal (16th).
• Interestingly, older Call of Duty titles such as Black Ops II and Black Ops III returned to the top 20 after their servers were fixed on Xbox.

Remnant II from Gearbox Publishing was the best-selling game of July, instantly becoming the #18 best-selling game of 2023 year-to-date. Two other new releases appeared among the month’s top 20 best-sellers, including Pikmin 4 (#6), and Exoprimal (#16). pic.twitter.com/Od98nkhVLz

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) August 21, 2023

• Thanks to its successful launch, Remnant II is now the 18th best-selling game of 2023 so far. Hogwarts Legacy still leads the charts, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
• Other 2023 titles in the top 20 include Resident Evil 4 (6th), Dead Island 2 (8th), Final Fantasy XVI (9th), Street Fighter 6 (10th), and Dead Space (12th).

2023 YTD Best-Sellers pic.twitter.com/GnMlSCW8o8

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) August 21, 2023

• According to data provided by Sensor Tower, Royal Match was the highest-grossing mobile game last month, dethroning Candy Crush Saga. Its player spending was up 21% compared to June.
• MONOPOLY GO! saw a 83% increase in player spending, climbing to second place and outperforming Roblox and Coin Master.