UK Game Sales See 26% Boost in March, Driven by Helldivers 2

The UK gaming market experienced a significant surge in March, with a 26% increase in game sales compared to the same period in 2023, totaling 3.65 million units sold across PC and console platforms. According to GSD data, which tracks both physical and digital sales from major publishers, Sony's Helldivers 2 maintained its top spot as the best-selling video game for the second consecutive month. After eight weeks, the game's sales have surpassed those of Spider-Man 2, Sony's previous major release, during the same timeframe. The two games differ significantly, with Spider-Man 2 priced at £70 and exclusive to PS5, while Helldivers 2 is more affordable and available on both PC and console. The new game continues to demonstrate impressive staying power, consistently ranking near the top of the charts. March also saw the release of Japanese RPGs Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Dragon's Dogma 2, with the latter debuting at No.3 and the former at No.5. Although Dragon's Dogma 2 had only been on the market for two weeks when the data was compiled, it managed to narrowly outsell Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. WWE 2K24, sandwiched between the two RPGs, has had a stronger start than its predecessor, with sales 8% higher than those of 2K23 after four weeks. The charts were also flooded with Command & Conquer titles, following the release of a 17-title bundle on Steam in March. Two of the games, Generals and Red Alert 2, made it to the Top Ten, with a total of ten games in the Top 20. As a result, new releases like Rise of Ronin and Princess Peach: Showtime were pushed down the charts. The UK gaming hardware market, however, continued to decline year-on-year, with just over 117,000 consoles sold in March, according to GfK panel data. This represents a 22% increase over February but a 15% decrease compared to March last year. The PS5 was the top-selling console, with sales up 25% over February but down 9% year-on-year. Nintendo Switch sales rose 20% month-on-month but fell 20% year-on-year, while Xbox Series S and X sales increased 19% over the previous month but decreased 18% year-on-year. In the accessories market, 732,584 units were sold in the UK during March, a 20% increase over February and a 16% rise year-on-year. The Midnight Black DualSense controller took the top spot, while the White DualSense controller dropped to No.3. The Starlight Blue DualSense controller was the biggest riser, jumping 13 places to No.6. GfK games boss Dorian Bloch noted that the controller category is performing well, driven by PS5 joypads and revenue. The Dualsense Edge is the No.2 joypad by revenue on PS5, despite not selling in the same quantities as the Dualsense White. Bloch also highlighted the strong performance of gaming mice and keyboards, with Logitech products dominating the mice market and the Trust GXT-830 and GXT-865 leading the keyboard sales.