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The NPD Group has released its latest monthly report for the US video game industry, revealing which games and consoles sold the best during July 2021. The report also provides a snapshot of the overall health of the US video game market for the month.
Below are some of the key takeaways covering hardware, software, and accessories.
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Overall
Total spending on games in the US during July–covering hardware, software, and accessories–reached $4.6 billion, which was up 10% from last year and represented the highest monthly revenue in July in the history of the NPD’s reporting. Total spending on games so far in 2021 reached $33.5 billion, which was up 14% compared to the first six months of 2020.
Hardware
Spending on hardware surged by 98% compared to July 2020 to $323 million. According to the NPD, this is the highest single-month hardware revenue for July since July 2008 ($447 million) and the third highest July in NPD’s tracking history. Spending on hardware so far in 2021 reached $2.7 billion, which is up 50% compared to the first half of last year. It’s no surprise that hardware spending has gone up significantly, of course, as the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S released in November 2020, and are basically selling through every unit that can be made.
The PS5 was the top-seller in total dollar sales in the US for July, though the Nintendo Switch sold more units. The Switch is the best-selling console of 2021 so far based on both unit sales and dollar sales. The NPD report had no details on how the Xbox platform performed in July, though Microsoft just recently announced that the The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD was the best-selling game of July 2021 in the US; it’s the first Nintendo game to hit the top of the monthly sales charts since Super Mario 3D World in February 2021. The result is especially impressive because it does not include any digital sales figures.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War landed in second place for July, and it continues to be the best-selling game of 2021 so far. Capcom’s Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin was No. 3 in July in the US, with sales during its launch month more than tripling the lifetime sales of Monster Hunter Stories after less than one month in the market.
Another notable callout from the report was that MLB The Show 21 passed Resident Evil: Village in July to become the second-highest selling game of 2021. Sales of MLB The Show 21 on a year-to-date basis are the highest in the history of the series. Better sales were expected, of course, given Sony launched the game on a new platform this year in Xbox. It’s available on Xbox Game Pass, which doesn’t count toward a sale, but being on Xbox definitely helped improve overall sales.
July 2021 Top-Selling Games All Platforms
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarMonster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of RuinMario Kart 8*MinecraftMario Golf: Super Rush*MLB The Show 21^Spider-Man: Miles MoralesCall of Duty: Modern WarfareSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate*Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartAnimal Crossing: New Horizons*Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2Super Mario 3D World*Mortal Kombat 11Neo: The World Ends With YouThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*Pokemon: Sword/Shield*Resident Evil: VillageAssassin’s Creed Valhalla
* Digital sales not included
^ Xbox digital sales not included
Accessories
Lastly, spending on gaming accessories in July 2021 for the US jumped by 11% to $189 million, while year-to-date spending rose 13% to $1.4 billion. The Skyward Sword HD Edition Joy-Con was the top-selling accessory in July based on dollar sales, while the PS5’s white DualSense controller is the biggest seller for the year so far.
