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US game spending gets a 12% bump in May | US Monthly Charts

The revenue growth was driven by the debut of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom

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During May, US consumer spending on games reached $4 billion, a 12% increase year-on-year, according to the latest Circana data.

Software reached $3.6 billion during the month, as the segment was up 9% compared to last year's performance.

Consumer spending for the month on hardware jumped by 56% year-on-year as it amassed $338 million. Circana said, "This is the highest video game hardware spend for a May month since the $427 million reached in May 2008."

Nintendo's Switch console was the best-selling platform for dollar sales during the month. Circana says spending on the system hit an all-time May high, as its unit sales were the second highest ever for the month, trailing behind May 2020.

Accessory spending was up 14% year-on-year, totaling $159 million during May. The PlayStation 5 Dual Sense Edge Wireless Controller Black was the top-selling peripheral for the month. In terms of unit sales, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Series 1 Amiibo Character Pack led accessories throughout the month.

Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom debuted as May's best-selling game, whereas Warner Bros.' Hogwarts took second, and EA's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was the third top seller.

Here are the top 20 selling games from the period of April 30 to May 27, data courtesy of Circana:

Rank Last month rank Title
1 New The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*
2 6 Hogwarts Legacy
3 1 Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
4 2 Dead Island 2
5 5 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
6 3 MLB: The Show 23^
7 9 FIFA 23
8 10 Mario Kart 8*
9 4 Resident Evil 4
10 49 Far Cry 6
11 12 Elden Ring
12 13 Minecraft
13 28 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
14 23 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
15 19 Madden NFL 23
16 21 God of War: Ragnarok
17 16 New Super Mario Bros.*
18 18 Pokémon: Scarlet/Violet*
19 30 Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
20 20 Super Mario 3D World*

*Digital sales not included, - ^ Xbox and Switch digital sales not included.

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Jeffrey Rousseau avatar
Jeffrey Rousseau: Jeffrey joined GamesIndustry.biz in March 2021. Based in Florida, his work focused on the intersectionality of games and media. He enjoys reading, podcasts, staying informed, and learning how people are tackling issues.
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