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U.S.: Total video games spending grew 6% to USD 4.6 billion in February 2023

In a comparison with 2022, after an income fall in January 2023, there were better numbers for last month, due to an expansion in hardware and accessories outlay by consumers, according to a recent study from Circana (formerly, the NPD Group).
Top selling title for last month in the United States market was ‘Hogwarts Legacy’, an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books.

The U.S. video games industry is showing a slow recovery in 2023. This is clear from a Circana (new name of recognized company the NPD Group) report. Indicators for February 2023 reveal that total video games spending was USD 4.6 billion (up 6% year-on-year), with expenses in Hardware (USD 495 million, +68%) and Accessories (USD 212 million, +13%) as the best drivers to boost progress in this segment, followed by a Software/content spending of USD 3.9 billion (+1%).

When we take a look at year-to-date numbers, total games spending has been USD 8.9 billion (flat year-over-year), with Hardware sales of USD 888 million (up 29%), Accessories spending of USD 377 million (down 1%), and Software/content purchases of USD 7.7 billion (down 2%).

The biggest mover of February 2023 was console hardware spending. The +68% YoY represented the highest February hardware total since 2009. The surge was largely driven by the PlayStation 5, which led the month in both dollar sales and unit sales. On the content side, console, PC, and subscription spending were all up enough to offset a decline in the mobile market.

New release Hogwarts Legacy (by Warner Bros. Interactive) was the best-selling game of the month by a wide enough margin, becoming the best-selling game of 2023 through the first two months of the year. The premiere of HBO’s The Last of Us TV series also appears to have enhanced interest in the video games series, with The Last of Us: Part 1 climbing from 11th on the January 2023 charts to 6th for February. Meanwhile, The Last of Us: Part 2 jumped from 41st in January 2023 to 18th last month.

Charts also presented six more new releases: Wild Hearts (8th), Like a Dragon: Ishin! (9th), Octopath Traveler 2 (10th), Kirby’s Return to Dream Land (15th), Company of Heroes 3 (16th), and Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line (20th). As for publishers, Electronics Arts and Sony (Corp) are the companies with the most titles positioned among the best and most sold in the country.

On the mobile side of the industry, Circana said midcore games in particular struggled, although the most popular mobile shooters “have been stable since the beginning of the year after enduring a difficult 2022.” Casino and sports mobile games were said to be more stable, with the former category seeing year-over-year spending up in February.

Here are the top 20 selling games from the period of January 29th, 2023 through February 25th, 2023, data courtesy of NPD.