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Future of™ insights for Video Games is now available
THE SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH FOR
Video Games
No longer just an entertainment medium, gaming is a lifestyle. As a result, video game publishers and developers are under increased pressure to deliver the content their gamers demand, when they demand it.
At the same time, manufacturers must know how gamers interact with their content and hardware so they can power the best gaming experiences.
Our data and industry expertise ensure you can respond to market changes and your customers’ needs. You get complete, accurate information about your products’ market share and mindshare, plus industry insights, to help you track trends, identify licensing partnerships, find business opportunities, and grow your business.
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"Video games are a cultural powerhouse. The largest entertainment medium in consumer spending, the video game market of today is as diverse as it is large. From pick up and play mobile games to bleeding edge PC titles and beyond, staying ahead in this quickly evolving and constantly surprising industry requires data driven, actionable insights."
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INDUSTRY RANKING
Data Spotlight
January 2026 Spending (USD, Millions)
Total: $4,698 (+3% vs YA)
Content: $4,266 (+3%)
Hardware: $248 (+16%)
Accessories: $185 (-5%)
Growth in Subscription and Hardware Drive 3% Increase in January 2026 U.S. Video Game Spending
PlayStation 5 led the hardware market in both unit and dollar sales, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 repeated as the best-selling game of the month.
Hardware Key Takeaways
Hardware spending increased 16% when compared to a year ago, reaching $248M. Nintendo Switch 2 spending was able to offset year-on-year declines seen across PlayStation 5 (-17%), Xbox Series (-27%) and Switch (-79%).
Despite sales falling compared to a year ago, PlayStation 5 led the hardware market in both unit and dollar sales during January 2026. Nintendo Switch 2 ranked 2nd across both measures.
Content Key Takeaways
January video game content spending grew 3% when compared to a year ago, to $4.3B. A 23% increase in subscription spending compared to January 2025 combined with slight gains across Console (+2%) and PC (+1%) content to offset a small drop in mobile (-1%) (mobile source: Sensor Tower).
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 repeated as the best-selling game of the month.
Code Vein II was the only new release to appear on the January best-selling titles chart, ranking 11th overall. It placed first on the PC aggregated storefronts chart.
Final Fantasy VII: Remake jumped to 9th in January from 225th in December due to the release of the Switch 2 and Xbox Series versions of the game during the month.
In Mobile content, Sensor Tower reports the top 10 games by U.S. consumer spending in January and the change in ranking from December as: MONOPOLY GO!, Royal Match (+1), Last War: Survival (-1), Candy Crush Saga, Gossip Harbor (+1), Kingshot (-1), Whiteout Survival (+1), Royal Kingdom (+1), Township (+2) and Free Fire (+2).
“The Clash Royale show seems to be officially over, as the game falls out of the top 10 ranking with -49% revenue over December 2025,” said Sam Aune of Sensor Tower. “The game to keep your eye on outside of the top 10 is Loom Games' Pixel Flow!, which grew IAP revenue 79% month over month.”
Accessories Key Takeaways
Accessories spending dipped 5% compared to a year ago, to $185M This is the lowest January accessories spend total since January 2020 ($143M).
Source: Circana Games Market Dynamics,
January, 2026
Data Source:
Point of Sale (POS) Data
25 Feb 2026
Insights in Action
Nearly 10 years ago, I heralded the rise of Bluetooth headphones as the dominant connection type in stereo headphones, overtaking wired devices in market share. At the time, Bluetooth had grown in popularity to become the majority of sales in the stereo headphones market, accounting for 54% of total dollars in July 2016. The rest, as they say, is history. Bluetooth has since become a staple technology in the headphones market, giving rise to new form factors such as True Wireless (the most...
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From e-commerce to brick-and-mortar, we show you where your products perform best and how to optimize your assortment for each channel.
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