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Future of™ insights for Video Games is now available
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Video Game Industry Performance & Market Research
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.
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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
Resident Evil: Requiem Debuts as the Best-Selling Video Game of 2026
Nintendo Switch 2 pushes hardware spending 22% higher in February when compared to a year ago.
US Video Game Market Notes by Mat Piscatella, Senior Director, Video Games at Circana
The US video game market generated $4.6 billion in spending during February 2026, growing 1% when compared to a year ago. Resident Evil: Requiem’s blockbuster debut and a 27% boost in subscription services helped US consumer spending on video game content stay flat when compared to February 2025. In hardware, while Nintendo Switch 2 hardware drove 22% year-on-year spending growth compared to last February, it was PlayStation 5 that once again led the market in both unit and dollar sales.
Hardware Key Takeaways
Hardware spending increased 22% when compared to a year ago, to $326M. Spending on Nintendo Switch 2 hardware offset year-on-year declines across PlayStation 5, Switch and Xbox Series consoles.
PlayStation 5 again led the hardware market in both unit and dollar sales. Nintendo Switch 2 repeated its January performance ranking 2nd across both measures.
With nine months in market, the life-to-date installed base of Nintendo Switch 2 is trending 45% ahead of the original Nintendo Switch (November 2017 was the ninth month in market for Nintendo Switch).
Content Key Takeaways
February video game content spending was flat when compared to February 2025, at $4.0B. Non-mobile subscription content spending increased by 27% compared to a year ago, offsetting the declines experienced across other content segments. (mobile source: Sensor Tower).
Resident Evil: Requiem debuted as the best-selling video game of the year. It ranked 1st in February across the PlayStation, Xbox and the aggregated PC storefront charts.
Launch week dollar sales of Resident Evil: Requiem were more than 60% higher than the launch week total of Resident Evil: Village (week ending May 8, 2021), with unit sales increasing by more than 40%. (Note - percentages exclude bundled versions).
Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined debuted as the 7thbest-selling game in February while ranking 14th year-to-date.
Other new video games appearing among the month’s top 20 best-sellers included Mario Tennis Fever (11th – physical only), God of War: Sons of Sparta (14th), My Hero Academia: All’s Justice (17th) and Resident Evil Generation Pack (20th).
Diablo II: Resurrected jumped to 13th on the February 2026 best-selling titles chart – up from 195th in January – driven by the Steam release of Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition.
DOOM: The Dark Ages lifted from 92nd on the aggregated PC storefront best-selling games chart in January to #9 in February helped in part by id Software Anniversary Sale promotional pricing on Steam.
In Mobile content, Sensor Tower reports the top 10 games by U.S. consumer spending in February and the change in ranking from January as: MONOPOLY GO!, Last War: Survival (+1), Royal Match (-1), Candy Crush Saga, Gossip Harbor, Kingshot, Whiteout Survival, Township (+1), Pokémon GO (+8) and Royal Kingdom (-2).
“Pokémon GO shot up in the ranks, breaking into the top 10 again with 61% revenue growth month-over-month and knocking Free Fire out of the top 10,” said Bryan Isagholian of Sensor Tower. “This is likely due to the Road to Kalos event being launched late February, and the title will continue to see an increase in daily revenue into early March before the event comes to a close.”
Accessories Key Takeaways
Accessories spending fell by 2% when compared to February a year ago, to $215M. The PlayStation Portal Remote Player Midnight Black was the best-selling accessory in dollar sales for both the month and year-to-date.
The PS5 Dual Sense Wireless Controller Midnight Black was the best-selling accessory in units for both the month and 2026 year thus far.
Source: Circana Games Market Dynamics,
February, 2026
Data Source:
Point of Sale (POS) Data
15 Apr 2026
Insights in Action
It’s been a while since consumers have followed a three-square-meals-a-day eating habit. Although snacking has continually increased in frequency and type over the last several years, Circana research shows that the “snackscape” is evolving, with notable implications for brands and retailers.
Drive Brand Growth with Circana’s Solutions
Circana offers tailored solutions for every corner of the video game industry, helping brands stay ahead in a competitive market.
Pricing Strategy Tools
Our price and promotion analytics tools allow developers and retailers to leverage verified consumer purchase data when testing promotions.
Demand Forecasting
Our platform allows developers, retailers, & other companies to forecast demand and identify key trends moving the video game industry.
Market Research & Category Measurement
Circana provides in-depth analysis of the Video Game market by combining industry expertise, consumer data, and market insights.
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Questions Circana’s Video Game Solutions Can Help Developers Answer:
What are the best-performing video games in 2026?
Circana tracks the top 10 best-selling video games and provides key insights into consumer spending across categories. Circana helps developers and retailers understand the “why” behind consumer decisions and identify what strategies led to the success of the most popular games.
How is the video game industry evolving in 2026?
The video game industry has the potential to reach a new high in consumer spending in 2026, thanks in part to the release of new hardware, player demand, and the prevalence of subscription pricing models. Circana tracks consumer behavior across generations as well as key industry shifts like the increased production costs for console hardware caused by the driven demand for RAM, GPUs, CPUs, and storage from AI data centers. These factors will all play a large role in consumer spending and preferences throughout 2026.
How are consumers shifting their spending behavior within the video game industry?
Amidst serious macroeconomic factors, consumers report a desire to play more free-to-play games and may be more likely to wait for sales and promotional pricing for new releases instead of buying them at full price during their initial launch.
What opportunities are there within the video game industry?
Demand for PC/mobile games is rising, especially among younger players, and amidst concerns surrounding increased pricing for consoles due to tariffs and limited manufacturing resources. Likewise, the demand for peripherals and accessories remains strong. Moreover, as many consumers are interested in free-to-play games, there are increased opportunities for in-game monetization strategies.
