European Video Game and Console Sales See Significant Uptick in August

According to recent data from GSD, approximately 10.7 million video games were sold across Europe last month, marking a nearly 29% increase from the same period last year. Notably, this figure does not include sales of Baldur's Gate 3, as its publisher, Larian, is not part of the GSD panel. Instead, FIFA 23 took the top spot, with a significant sales boost on the Nintendo Switch due to a promotional offer on the Nintendo eShop. Grand Theft Auto 5 followed closely, with a 40% increase in sales compared to August 2022, largely driven by promotional activities on the PlayStation 5. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe were the best-selling games by platform. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was the highest-charting new game, just behind Hogwarts Legacy at number four, with the UK being its strongest market. Red Dead Redemption re-entered the charts at number 11 after its release on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, with the PS4 version accounting for nearly two-thirds of its sales. Quake 2, with its updated release, jumped to number 23. In terms of console sales, while not all markets are tracked by GSD, the countries that are tracked saw a 67% increase in hardware sales compared to August last year, primarily driven by the PlayStation 5, which saw a 197% sales jump. The Nintendo Switch also performed well, with sales up just under 1% from the previous year. However, Xbox Series S and X sales were down nearly 12% compared to the same period in 2022. Accessories sales were up 36% year-over-year, largely due to the strong sales of the PS5 DualSense controller, which saw a 170% spike in sales.