European Summer Sales Boost GTA 5 to Top Spot

European game sales soared in July, with 11.6 million console and PC games sold, marking a 34% increase from the same period last year. Digital downloads drove this growth, accounting for nearly 7.9 million sales, a 60% rise, while physical sales reached 3.75 million, up 0.2%. According to GSD data, which tracks digital sales from major AAA game publishers and physical sales in key European markets, summer promotions on PlayStation and Xbox significantly impacted the charts. Grand Theft Auto 5 reclaimed the top spot, and Red Dead Redemption 2 rose to No.3, following discounts on console, particularly on PlayStation. The highest new entry was Pikmin 4, a Nintendo Switch exclusive, at No.11, although its sales are up 81% compared to Pikmin 3: Deluxe's debut in 2020. In terms of hardware, 493,000 consoles were sold across tracked European countries, a 62.5% increase from July 2022 but a 2% decrease from June. The PS5 led the month, with sales up 244% over July last year, driven by strong price promotions. Nintendo Switch sales were down 9% compared to July 2022, but year-to-date sales are flat. The GSD data encompasses games from participating companies, including Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft, sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, across various European countries.