PS5 Takes the Lead Over Xbox Series X and S, While F1 22 Maintains Top Spot in UK Monthly Charts

The UK gaming market experienced a slight decline in console sales during July, with all three major platforms seeing a decrease in sales. According to GfK UK panel data, approximately 104,000 gaming consoles were sold in the UK last month, representing a 16% month-over-month decline. Year-to-date, console sales have plummeted by 38%. It's worth noting that July had four weeks, whereas June had five. PS5 sales saw the smallest decline in July, dropping by 14%. As a result, it has become the UK's second most popular console of 2022, narrowly trailing behind the Nintendo Switch. Both PS5 and Xbox Series X continue to face stock shortages, hindering their sales potential. F1 22 Remains at the Top in July The latest GSD figures reveal that 1.79 million physical and digital video games were sold in the UK last month. This represents a 17% decline compared to July last year and a 32% drop compared to June 2022. F1 22 has maintained its position as the top-selling game for the second consecutive month, having initially reached the top spot in June. The Quarry, which was also released in June, continues to show promise at No.8. Meanwhile, Nintendo's Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has debuted at No.13 after just one week on sale. Since Nintendo does not share digital sales data, their games may have ranked higher if digital sales were included. In terms of physical sales only, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga took the top spot, followed by F1 22 at No.2. Nintendo Switch Sports, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe occupied the No.3, No.4, and No.5 positions, respectively. Several games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Far Cry 6, have re-entered the charts following promotional activities. The Impact of Horizon: Forbidden West Bundles It's worth noting that Horizon: Forbidden West, which consistently tops the weekly physical charts (according to GfK), is absent from the monthly software figures (based on GSD data). This discrepancy arises because the monthly chart does not account for console bundles, whereas the weekly chart does. The PS5 Horizon bundle has proven to be a significant success, with 50% of PS5 console sales over the past three months attributed to the official Horizon bundle. GfK's games boss, Dorian Bloch, attributes the rise in PS5 fortunes to the success of the Horizon Forbidden West Official Bundles, which launched in the UK market in May. Since then, 50% of PS5 hardware sales have come from these bundles, resulting in Horizon: Forbidden West's high chart position in the box software charts. Although the official bundles have accounted for fewer PS5 hardware sales recently, many retailers are now soft bundling Horizon: Forbidden West with standard PS5 consoles, particularly when they are low on official bundle stock. This has enabled Horizon: Forbidden West to maintain its position in the software charts, with an initial No.1 spot at launch and five subsequent No.1 spots, all thanks to the bundles. PS5 Bundles Boost Accessories Sales According to GfK UK panel data, 551,038 accessories and add-on products were sold in the UK last month, representing a 5.7% decline compared to June and a 4.8% drop compared to July last year. The DualSense Wireless Controller White and Black remain the top-selling accessories, with the Stealth C6-100 Gaming Headset from A4T being the fastest-rising new accessory, jumping 147 places to No.5. This surge is attributed to a bundle with the PlayStation 5 console at Argos. Dorian Bloch also noted the significant increase in sales of the Logitech Driving Force G29 wheel for PS4 and PS5 (No.13) and the G920 for Xbox and PC (No.14) during Prime week. Digital data is currently unavailable. The GSD digital data includes games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop. Major participating companies include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Embracer Group, Focus Entertainment, Konami, Marvellous Games, Microids, Microsoft, Milestone, Nacon, Paradox Interactive, Quantic Dream, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Notable absentees include Nintendo and 505 Games, as well as smaller studios.