Port Washington, NY — Consumer spending across video game hardware, content and accessories totaled $3.6 billion in July 2020, increasing 32 percent when compared to a year ago. Double-digit percentage spending gains in accessories, subscription, mobile, and both digital full game as well as post launch spending on console and PC offset a slight decline in hardware.

Year-to-date spending reached $26.0 billion, 21 percent higher than the same period in 2019. Content, hardware and accessory spending are each over 20 percent higher when compared to the same period a year ago.

Content (Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)

Video game content spending reached $3.3 billion in July 2020, gaining 34 percent when compared to a year ago.  Digital content spending, which includes full game downloads, post launch content, mobile and subscription spending, increased 41 percent.

Year-to-date 2020 content spending reached $23.0 billion, a 21 percent increase when compared to the same period a year ago. While spending has increased across all digital content segments, the strongest gains have been achieved in digital content spending on console platforms.

Full-Game Dollar Sales Spotlight (Excludes Post-Launch Spending)

Ghost of Tsushima was July’s best-selling title. Ghost of Tsushima debuts as 2020’s fifth best-selling game year-to-date and is developer Sucker Punch Productions’ fastest-selling release in history.

Paper Mario: The Origami King was the third best-selling game of July 2020. Paper Mario: The Origami King set a new launch month sales record for a Paper Mario title, with physical launch month dollar sales more than doubling those of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

The Last of Us: Part II was July 2020’s fourth best-selling title, and it remains the third best-selling game of 2020 year to date. Life-to-date dollar sales of The Last of Us: Part II are now the third highest for a Sony published game in history, trailing only Marvel’s Spider-Man and 2018’s God of War.

Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris debuted at #10 on July’s best-selling titles chart. It is the highest ranked placement for a Sword Art Online title in history. Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet placed as the fourteenth best-selling title in its Februrary 2018 launch month.

Hardware

Hardware spending declined 2 percent in July 2020 when compared to a year ago, to $166 million. Year-to-date spending reached $1.8 billion, a 22 percent increase compared to the same time period last year.

Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling hardware platform of both July and 2020 year to date in unit and dollar sales.

Accessories

Spending on accessories reached a July record $170 million, increasing 34 percent when compared to a year ago. Gamepad and headset/headphone spending also set new July record highs.

Year-to-date accessory spending was 24 percent higher than a year ago, at an all-time high $1.3 billion. Gamepad, headset/headphone and steering wheels have each achieved record high spending in the period.

The Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller was the best-selling accessory of both July and year to date.