Grand Theft Auto 5 Regains Top Spot in August European Monthly Charts

The European gaming market saw a 7% increase in console and PC game sales in August, with 11.8 million units sold. According to the latest GSD data, which tracks digital sales from major publishers and physical sales in key European markets, the rise in sales can be attributed to discounts and promotions on legacy titles, including Grand Theft Auto 5, which took the top spot with a 5.7% year-over-year sales increase. The launch of Star Wars Outlaws also contributed to the sales surge, securing the second-best-selling game position in August. However, the game's debut was underwhelming, with first-week sales falling short of half of what Star Wars Jedi: Survivor achieved in 2023. Notably, Black Myth: Wukong was largely absent from the charts due to missing digital sales data, although its physical version reached No. 68. Other games that saw a significant jump in the charts include Kingdom Come Deliverance, which rose to No. 4 after its price dropped below £3 on Steam, and Borderlands 3, which bounced back following the release of the movie and the announcement of Borderlands 4. Sony's Concord release, which failed to gain traction and was subsequently pulled from sale, ranked No. 347 across Europe in August. In terms of hardware, just over 300,000 consoles were sold in tracked European markets, a 42% decline from the previous year but a 12% increase from July. The PS5 maintained its lead as the top console, despite a year-over-year sales drop of over 50%, while the Nintendo Switch secured the second spot with a 25% decline in sales. Overall, console sales are down 29% year-to-date. The accessories market saw a 17% year-over-year decline, with 1.1 million items sold across tracked markets. The GSD digital data encompasses games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, with major companies like Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft contributing to the data. Digital sales data covers games sold in various European countries, including Austria, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, while physical sales data is limited to select markets. Console hardware sales and accessories sales cover a range of European markets, with some exceptions.