According to data from GSD, the European video game market witnessed a surge in sales last month, with a total of 10.7 million video games from major AAA publishers being sold. This marks a remarkable increase of nearly 29% compared to August of the previous year. Notably, this impressive figure doesn’t even include the highly anticipated game of the month, Baldur’s Gate 3, as its publisher, Larian, is not part of the GSD panel.
Taking the top spot in game sales for August is FIFA 23, with a significant boost in sales on the Nintendo Switch, thanks to a special offer on the Nintendo eShop. Following closely behind is Grand Theft Auto 5, which saw a remarkable 40% increase in sales compared to August 2022, primarily due to promotional activities on the PlayStation 5.
When we examine games based on individual platforms, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom secured the title of the best-selling game of the month, with Mario Kart 8: Deluxe not far behind. Nintendo had yet another strong month in terms of sales across Europe.
The standout new release was Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, which claimed the fourth spot, just trailing behind Hogwarts Legacy at No. 4. Notably, the From Software game performed exceptionally well in the UK, with sales almost double that of Germany and triple that of France.
Making a return to the charts in August was Red Dead Redemption, securing the 11th position. Its resurgence in popularity can be attributed to its release on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, with the PS4 version accounting for nearly two-thirds of the sales.
Just missing out on the Top 20 for the month was Quake 2, which received an updated release across all platforms, featuring extra levels, and jumped to the 23rd position.
Turning our attention to hardware, while GSD doesn’t track all markets (with Germany and the UK notably absent), the countries that are monitored reported a remarkable 67% increase in hardware sales compared to August of the previous year. This surge was primarily driven by the PlayStation 5, which experienced a staggering sales increase of 197% compared to the previous August. Last year, there were severe shortages of PS5 units across Europe.
In contrast, the Nintendo Switch continues to perform admirably despite its age, with sales rising by just under 1% compared to August of the previous year. However, the Xbox Series S and X faced challenges, with sales declining by nearly 12% compared to the same period in 2022. This trend is expected to shift in September, with the introduction of a new hardware SKU and the highly anticipated launch of Starfield, which is likely to boost sales.
Lastly, accessories sales witnessed a substantial 36% increase year-on-year in August. This growth can be attributed to the strong sales of the PS5 DualSense controller, which saw a remarkable 170% increase in sales, driven by the improved performance of the PS5 console.