- Mat Piscatella
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
March 2026 Spending (USD, Millions)
Total: $5,304 (+12% vs YA)
Content: $4,551 (+8%)
Hardware: $500 (+69%)
Accessories: $252 (+5%)
US Video Game Spending Jumped 12% in March, Driven by Console Content and Hardware
Crimson Desert, MLB The Show 26 and Pokémon Pokopia were among the new releases which fueled overall spending growth.
Hardware Key Takeaways
March hardware spending grew by 69% when compared to a year ago, to $500M. Nintendo Switch 2 drove the overall gain, while PlayStation 5 spending increased by 3% compared to March 2025.
Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling hardware platform across units and dollars for both March and 2026 year-to-date, with PlayStation 5 ranking 2nd across both measures and time periods.
Through each console’s first 10 months in market, total unit sales of Nintendo Switch 2 are 12% higher than Nintendo Switch (Dec 2017 was the 10th month in market for Nintendo Switch) and it remains the 2nd fastest selling hardware platform in US tracked history (1995-Current).
Content Key Takeaways
March video game content spending increased by 8% when compared to a year ago, to $4.6B. Console content spending grew by 22% compared to a year ago, driven by a 40% gain in digital premium downloads. PC, Cloud and Non-Console VR content spending surged 28% versus a year ago, while non-mobile subscription content spending climbed by 20%.
Crimson Desert, MLB The Show 26 and Pokémon Pokopia led all titles in total projected full game spending, with MLB The Show 26 ranking 1st in combined physical and Digital Leader Panel participating publisher tracked digital sales.
Launch month combined physical and panel participating publisher tracked digital full game dollar sales of MLB The Show 26 achieved the second highest total in franchise history, trailing only MLB The Show 21, which debuted slightly higher in April 2021.
Overall, 5 new releases ranked among the top 7 best-selling games of March on the combined physical & panel participant digital chart. Joining MLB The Show 26 (1st) and WWE 2K26 (3rd) were Marathon (4th), Pokémon: Pokopia (physical only, 5th) and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (7th).
In Mobile content, Sensor Tower reports the top 10 games by U.S. consumer spending in March and the change in ranking from February as: MONOPOLY GO!, Last War: Survival, Royal Match, Candy Crush Saga, Gossip Harbor, Kingshot, Whiteout Survival, Pokémon GO (+1), Township (-1), and Royal Kingdom.
“While Pokémon GO maintained its momentum from the high performing Road to Kalos event in late February, this performance is expected to cool off in April,” said Bryan Isagholian of Sensor Tower. “Monopoly GO! has seen revenue decline by over 10% QoQ for the second consecutive quarter, yet the title remains firmly in first place. Conversely, Gossip Harbor has delivered three consecutive quarters of revenue growth, steadily gaining ground on competitors like Kingshot and Whiteout Survival.”
Accessories Key Takeaways
Accessories spending grew by 5% when compared to a year ago, to $252M. Spending on Cases and Organizers jumped by 180% compared to March 2025.
March Digital at Retail spending (including point-of-sale activated gift cards, code on receipts, and other retailer driven digital spending) jumped by 30% versus a year ago, to $306M. Roblox Digital at Retail spending increased by 65% versus a year ago and led all manufacturers in total monthly spend.
Top 10 Selling Video Games (Retail and Digital), March 2026
Rank | Rank Last Month | Title | Publisher |
1 | NEW | MLB: The Show 26^^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
2 | 1 | Resident Evil: Requiem | Capcom USA |
3 | NEW | WWE 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
4 | NEW | Marathon (2026) | Sony (Corp) |
5 | NEW | Pokemon: Pokopia* | Nintendo |
6 | 3 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | Microsoft (Corp) |
7 | NEW | Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection | Capcom USA |
8 | 2 | NBA 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
9 | 4 | Minecraft^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
10 | 6 | EA Sports FC 26 | Electronic Arts |
* Digital sales not included for marked titles - ^ Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included
Note: Sales of software packaged in a hardware bundle are not included in the best-selling titles charts.
Top 10 Selling Video Games (Retail and Digital), Year-to-Date 2026
Rank | Rank Last Month | Title | Publisher |
1 | 1 | Resident Evil: Requiem | Capcom USA |
2 | NEW | MLB: The Show 26^^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
3 | NEW | WWE 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
4 | 2 | NBA 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
5 | 3 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | Microsoft (Corp) |
6 | NEW | Marathon (2026) | Sony (Corp) |
7 | 5 | Minecraft^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
8 | 6 | EA Sports FC 26 | Electronic Arts |
9 | 7 | Battlefield 6 | Electronic Arts |
10 | 4 | Madden NFL 26 | Electronic Arts |
* Digital sales not included for marked titles - ^ Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included ^^ Digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox platforms not included
Note: Sales of software packaged in a hardware bundle are not included in the best-selling titles charts.
