Circana: The U.S. Gaming Market in March'26
Marathon showed great numbers; Crimson Desert team decided not to report digital sales, and Pokemon: Pokopia crushing it.
Market
In March 2026, Americans spent $5.3 billion on games, up 12% year-over-year.
First quarter spending grew 5% YoY to $14.6 billion.
Game content sales grew 8% YoY to $4.6 billion.
Console content revenue grew 22%, with digital B2P sales up 40%.
PC, cloud, and non-console VR revenue grew 28%. Subscriptions grew 20%.
Hardware sales jumped 69% YoY to $500 million, driven by Nintendo Switch 2. PS5 sales also grew, up 3% YoY.
Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling platform in both March and Q1, by both units and revenue. PlayStation 5 ranked second across both measures and time periods.
Through its first 10 months on the market, Nintendo Switch 2 unit sales are running 12% ahead of the original Switch over the same period. It remains the second fastest-selling hardware platform in US tracked history (since 1995).
Accessories spending grew 5% YoY to $252 million. Cases and organizers jumped 180% YoY.
Digital at retail (gift cards and receipt codes) grew 30% YoY to $306 million in March 2026. Roblox was up 65% YoY and led all manufacturers in the segment.
Game Sales
MLB: The Show 26 (excluding digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo) was the best-selling game of March in the US. Other strong new releases: WWE 2K26 (#3), Marathon (#4), Pokemon: Pokopia (#5, physical only), Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (#7), and Crimson Desert (#15, excluding digital sales).
Through the first three months of 2026, Resident Evil: Requiem leads by revenue, followed by MLB: The Show 26 and WWE 2K26.
MLB The Show 26 posted the second-best launch in franchise history, trailing only 2021.
Resident Evil: Requiem has already entered the top 5 best-selling games in the franchise’s history after just two months on sale, trailing only Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 4 (2023), Resident Evil: Village, and the original Resident Evil 4.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach returned to the top 20 following its PC release. The PC version accounted for 85% of the game’s sales in March.
Top 5 mobile games by revenue: MONOPOLY GO!, Last War: Survival, Royal Match, Candy Crush Saga, Gossip Harbor.
According to Sensor Tower, MONOPOLY GO! revenue has declined more than 10% QoQ for the second consecutive quarter, yet the title remains firmly in first place. Gossip Harbor, by contrast, has delivered three consecutive quarters of revenue growth.
Platform Charts
PlayStation and Xbox revenue charts look very similar, with WWE 2K26 and Resident Evil: Requiem leading both. Marathon ranks higher on Xbox than on PlayStation.
Nintendo charts are dominated by Pokemon: Pokopia. Among other new releases, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is putting up solid numbers.
Marathon leads PC sales in March. The game found a receptive audience on Steam, though a month in, it’s fair to say the title is struggling to keep it in the game.