European Video Game Sales Experience 20% Surge in June, Fueled by Diablo 4

The latest GSD data reveals that 15.5 million games were sold across Europe last month, marking a significant increase in sales. This data encompasses digital games from major AAA game publishers and physical retail games from prominent European countries. A detailed breakdown is provided below. Out of the total sales, 5 million games were sold through physical retail, while 10.5 million were sold via digital download stores. This represents a 20% increase in sales compared to June last year, driven by several major new releases. Diablo 4 emerged as the best-selling game of the month, securing the second spot in the list of fastest-selling games of the year, behind Hogwarts Legacy. Zelda ranks third, although its digital download data is not available, which might affect its actual ranking. Diablo 4 has achieved the largest video game launch in June since the GSD charts began in 2017. In terms of platform distribution, 66% of Diablo 4 sales were on PC, followed by 21% on PS5, and 9% on Xbox Series S and X, with the remaining 4% on PS4. Square Enix's Final Fantasy 16 secured the second spot, with its launch sales down 24% compared to the last major Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 7: Remake, released in 2020. The next significant new release is F1 23 from EA, which experienced a disappointing launch with sales down by almost 47% compared to F1 22. The sales distribution for F1 23 was 65% on PS5, 22.5% on Xbox Series S and X, and 12.5% on PC. Street Fighter 6, at number 9, saw 51% of its sales on PS5, 28% on PC, 12% on Xbox Series S and X, and 9% on PS4. Among these new releases, 80% of sales came from digital download stores, although this percentage varies significantly depending on the game. In terms of physical retail sales, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom narrowly missed the top spot, being surpassed by Diablo 4. The sales of game consoles across tracked European markets reached 500,700 last month, representing a 33% increase over the same period last year. This surge is primarily attributed to a 116% increase in PlayStation 5 sales, while Switch sales declined by 2.3% and Xbox Series S and X sales remained relatively stable, with a 0.8% decrease. As a result, PS5 regained its position as the top console in Europe, having conceded the top spot to Nintendo Switch the previous month. In the accessories sector, Sony's DualSense controller leads the market, with a 6.6% increase in sales over the previous year. The Xbox Wireless controller also saw a significant boost in sales due to the launch of a special edition Starfield version. Overall, 1.46 million accessories and toys-to-life products were sold, marking a 5.4% increase over June 2022. In terms of points cards, 1.3 million were sold last month, representing a 3.4% year-over-year increase, with PlayStation Store Top-Up cards maintaining their top position. The GSD digital data encompasses games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, including major companies like Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, and Capcom. Digital data covers games sold in various European countries, while physical data includes all games sold in select countries. Console hardware sales and accessories sales cover specific markets, with some variations in coverage.