GTA 5 Overtakes Saints Row in August European Monthly Charts

The latest installment in the Saints Row series has long been overshadowed by the GTA franchise, making it unsurprising that it narrowly missed the top spot in the August European charts, with GTA 5 taking the lead. Despite the release of Saints Row and other notable titles such as Sony's Spider-Man Remastered on PC and Sega's Two Point Campus, overall game sales saw a 12.4% decline compared to the same period in 2021. GTA 5 was also the best-selling game in August 2021, with 7.7 million video games sold across tracked European territories, including both digital and physical copies. GTA 5 led digital sales, while Nintendo Switch Sports was the top-selling physical game, with 3.2 million physical copies sold in August. Gran Turismo 7 experienced a significant sales boost in August, doubling its sales compared to July, largely due to retail promotions and increased PS5 console availability. In the European console market, Nintendo Switch maintained its lead, with 310,000 consoles sold across tracked markets, although data from major markets like Germany and the UK is not included. Console sales saw a 19% decline compared to August 2021. The PS5 had its second-best month after June, with significantly higher stock levels than in the first quarter of the year. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S and X platforms had their fourth-best month. In the accessories market, the PS5 DualSense controller remained the top seller, with 1.18 million add-on products sold across Europe, representing a 9% decline from the same period in 2021. Additionally, 0.99 million points and wallet cards were sold, marking a 5% decline from August 2021. Digital data from participating companies, including Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, and Sony, is included in the GSD digital data, covering games sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop. Notable absentees include Nintendo and 505 Games, as well as smaller studios. The digital data encompasses games sold in various European countries, while physical data includes all games sold in select European markets. Console hardware sales cover specific European markets, and accessories sales cover the same markets, excluding Switzerland.