Circana: The US Gaming Market in February'25
The decline continues, Monster Hunter: Wilds started wildly strong.
Overall market condition
The overall results for February 2025 were 6% worse compared to February 2024. Revenue decreased from $4.795B to $4.507B.
Hardware sales fell the most, by 25% (from $341M in February 2024 to $256M in February 2025). This is the lowest figure since February 2020.
PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in February, followed by the Xbox Series S|X.
A word from our sponsor
Neon is the direct-to-consumer partner you can trust. We know the games industry is a tough business. That’s why we work closely with our clients, offering hands-on assistance, dedicated player support, transparent pricing, and reliable technology that delivers real results. Studios like Metacore, PerBlue, and Space Ape choose Neon because we are invested in their success. If you need a partner who puts your business first, visit Neon to learn more.
After 52 weeks on the U.S. market, PlayStation 5 sales are 7% ahead of PlayStation 4 sales. Xbox Series sales trail Xbox One by 19%.
Accessory sales dropped by 8% (from $238M to $220M).
PlayStation Portal continues to lead the list of top accessories by revenue.
Gaming content sales decreased by 4% (from $4.217B to $4.031B).
If we consider the results for the first two months of 2025, the gaming market revenue is 11% lower than the same period in 2024 ($9.02 billion vs. $10.116 billion). Hardware and accessory sales fell the most.
Games sales
February's top new releases include Monster Hunter: Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Civilization VII, PGA Tour 2K25, Avowed, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
For the first two months of 2025, the top three sellers are Monster Hunter: Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Civilization VII.
Monster Hunter: Wilds became the best-selling game in February and for the year on the U.S. market in just one day. This applies to all platforms - PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam. Over half of its sales in dollar terms were on Steam. The game earned more in one day than Monster Hunter: Rise did in all of March 2021.
It's worth noting the success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - the game launched five times better by revenue than the original, which was released in February 2018.
On mobile platforms, MONOPOLY GO!, Royal Match, and Last War: Survival are leading. Sensor Tower provided the data. Last War: Survival saw a 17% increase in IAP revenue in February.
Additionally, February became the first month in history when two games from the same IP (Pokémon GO and Pokémon TCG Pocket) entered the top 10 mobile chart in the U.S. by revenue.
Platform rankings
The sales rankings on PlayStation and Xbox are quite similar. There are differences in positions (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 sells better on PlayStation because it's not available by subscription). Also, Avowed made it into Xbox's top-10 list, while Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii made it onto PS.
The Nintendo Switch is different. It's worth noting the successful launch of Civilization VII and of Yu-Gi-Oh!: Early Days Collection.
The MAU charts on PlayStation and Xbox remains stable. Projects from subscriptions (High on Life on PS and Avowed on Xbox) made it into the top 10. Monster Hunter: Wilds will likely appear in March's rankings, as it simply didn't have enough time to establish itself in February.
On PC, the picture looks different. It's worth noting the long-term success of Marvel Rivals - it seems safe to say that the game has found its audience.