As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, video games continue to be America’s pastime.
According to The NPD Group, total spending on video games surged to $1.2 billion in the U.S. last month, a 26% surge when compared to last June. The increase across hardware, games, and accessories accounted for the biggest June month since 2019. Overall, the entire industry is up 19% year-to-date — an incredible feat for an industry that should be down as we approach the end of a console generation and prepare for the debut of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s Playstation 5 this holiday season.
That said, hardware sales have seemingly peaked. Total hardware spending in June fell 17% over last year. This was the first month showing year-over-year declines since February. Once again, Nintendo Switch dominated sales charts.
Naughty Dog’s much-buzzed-about The Last of Us: Part II topped the game charts for June, and quickly became the third best-selling game of the year despite being a platform exclusive for Playstation 4. As expected, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Animal Crossing: New Horizons continue to draw millions of players.
Impressively, the new hardware boom from March-June led a 29% increase in sales for video game accessories with new dollar sales records set for gamepads, steering wheels, controller enhancements, and headsets.
