UK Gaming Market Sees 41% Surge in Console Sales for September

September witnessed a substantial increase in console sales within the UK gaming market, although the overall sector still lags behind 2021 figures. Data from GfK, which tracks accessories and consoles, and GSD, which monitors physical and digital game sales, reveals this trend. Over 3.17 million games were sold in the UK during September, representing an 83% increase from August but a 6% decrease compared to the same period in 2021. Physical game sales accounted for 957,000 units, with digital retailers contributing the remaining 2.2 million. FIFA 23 drove the market, accounting for over a third of all UK game sales in September, despite being available for only a few days. Its opening week sales were slightly higher than the previous year's game, up by 1%. New entries in the charts include NBA 2K23, which secured the third spot with a strong performance, seeing sales rise by over 25% compared to its predecessor. Splatoon 3 from Nintendo took the fourth spot and was a steady seller throughout the month. However, its chart position might have been higher if Nintendo shared digital sales data. In terms of physical sales, Splatoon 3 was the second best-selling game of the month. The Last of Us: Part 1 on PS5 entered the top ten, securing fifth place. The month of September was particularly strong for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo, with console sales surging by 41%. According to GfK panel data, over 176,000 consoles were sold. All three main consoles had a successful month, with PS5 remaining the best-selling console and seeing a 9% sales increase from August. The PS5 now has over two million players in the UK. Xbox Series X and S followed closely, with sales jumping by 104% compared to August. Nintendo Switch also enjoyed a 44% sales increase, largely due to the launch of Splatoon 3. Despite this growth, year-to-date console sales in the UK are still down by 35.5%. The accessories market saw nearly 735,000 products sold in September, a 34% increase from August but an 8% decrease from September 2021. The PS5 DualSense controller remained the best-selling item, with the Xbox Wireless Shock Blue controller in second place. The latter saw a significant jump in the charts due to a £10 price reduction at key UK retailers. The top 20 video games for September in the UK, combining digital and physical sales, were led by FIFA 23, followed by Grand Theft Auto 5, NBA 2K23, Splatoon 3, and The Last of Us: Part 1. The GSD data includes sales from participating companies through platforms like Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, with major companies including Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, and Electronic Arts. Notably, Nintendo and 505 Games do not share digital sales data, alongside smaller studios.