Paul David Nuñez June 26th, 2026 - 1:40 PM
Circana has released its latest video game sales report for the month of May. Video game spending reached $4.2 billion in May 2026 which is an increase of 3% compared to a year ago. Hardware spending grew 38% from a year ago. Nintendo Switch 2 offeset a 43% drop in PlayStation 5 spending driven by the recent price increases. Hardware spending for XBOX grew 7% versus a year ago while units fell by 12%. As this generation has gone on, one thing has been explicitly clear, the video game industry is getting more expensive, and this month shows how it is affecting things.
May 2026 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana – 007 First Light and Nintendo Switch 2 Drive 3% US Video Game Spending Growth in May 2026.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Nintendo Switch is once again the best-selling hardware in both units and dollars for May and 2026 year-to-date. The month of May also marks Nintendo Switch 2’s first twelve months in market with a 5.9M unit U.S. installed base. With this, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the 2nd fastest selling video game hardware in U.S. tracked history. The Game Boy Advance is first with 6.5M.
May 2026 U.S. Video Game Total Spending – US video game spending reached $4.2 billion in May 2026, an increase of 3% when compared to a year ago. Year-to-date spending finished May 4% higher than 2025, at $23.0 billion.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 6:00 AM
PlayStation 5 is second across both measures and time periods for hardware sales for the month of May. That being said, PlayStation hardware unit sales fell to their lowest May total since 2000.
XBOX hardware unit sales were the lowest ever recorded for the month of May.
YTD 2026 U.S. Projected Top 10 Best-Selling Games Ranked on Physical & Full Game Digital Dollar Sales (Excludes Mobile and Digital Add-On Content)
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 6:00 AM
In terms of game sales, 007 First Light was the best-selling title for the month of May. Forza Horizon 6 was second, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was third, Subnautica 2 was fourth, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream rounded up the top 5 for this month.
007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6, and LEGO: Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’s sales figures have put them in the list of the Best-Selling games of 2026 at 4, 5, and 7, respectively.
Console content increased by 25% compared to a year ago. PC content and subscription concent also grew in May. Accessories spending grew by 8% in May, reacing $168M. With the release of Forza Horizon 6, racing controller spending increased by 95%, with the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel being the best-selling Controller of May in consumer spending.
