Circana: The U.S. Gaming Market in August 2025
NBA 2K26 started strong, as well as the overall August performance of the gaming market.
Market Overview
August 2025 in the U.S. performed 11% better compared to last year. The total market reached $4.657 billion. Moreover, it was the most successful August since at least 2019.
Game sales showed the strongest growth - to $4.177 billion, up 11% YoY. The mobile segment grew by 6%.
Console game sales increased by 21% in August, largely thanks to the release of NBA 2K26. Last year, the game launched in September.
Consumer spending on non-mobile subscriptions rose by 25% in August 2025 compared to August 2024.
Hardware sales were up 32% YoY, reaching $312 million.
The Nintendo Switch 2 offset the decline in sales of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and the first Nintendo Switch. All of those platforms are showing double-digit drops.
In its first three months, the Nintendo Switch 2 sold 2.4 million units in the U.S., which is 5% higher than the previous record set by PS4 (2.2 million in its first three months).
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Switch 2 sales are currently 77% ahead of the first Nintendo Switch’s performance for the same period.
Accessory sales slightly declined by 6% YoY, to $169 million. The top-selling accessory was the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.
Consumer spending on racing wheels grew by 7% in August and by 3% year-over-year. Total annual spending on them reached $78 million, with the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel leading the category.
Over the first eight months of 2025, the U.S. gaming market is 1% ahead of last year’s numbers for the same period. The market volume for this period reached $37.3 billion.
Console sales for the first eight months of 2025 amounted to $2.9 billion. The number of systems sold grew by 6.5% YoY, while the average price rose by 12.3%, reaching $453 per console.
User spending on subscriptions increased by 19% YoY, totaling $3.6 billion.
Game Sales
August saw a large number of new releases in the U.S. market. Four of the top five were new titles - NBA 2K26, Madden NFL 26, Mafia: The Old Country, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Other notable new releases include Gears of War: Reloaded (#6), EA Sports Kickoff Bundle (#9), and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (#19).
Looking at the most successful projects in the U.S. market this year, the top three remain the same - Monster Hunter: Wilds, EA Sports College Football 26, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered.
NBA 2K26 (ranked #5) and Madden NFL 26 (#10) entered the annual chart straight away and are expected to climb higher.
According to Sensor Tower, the top mobile games by revenue in August 2025 were MONOPOLY GO!, Royal Match, Last War: Survival, Candy Crush Saga, and Clash Royale.
The analyst also noted that Gardenscapes and Homescapes dropped out of the U.S. top 10.
Platform Rankings
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series rankings look almost identical, with half of the charts consisting of new releases.
Sports games performed well even on the Nintendo Switch 2 - Madden NFL 26 was second only to Donkey Kong Bananza in sales. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar also had a solid launch.
On Steam, the charts this month closely mirror the console rankings.