European Video Game Sales Skyrocket in May, Driven by Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda

The European video game market experienced a substantial surge in sales last month, largely attributed to the successful launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. According to the latest GSD data, nearly 10.6 million digital and physical games were sold across Europe, representing a 33% increase over the same period in May 2022. This growth is primarily driven by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which has become the best-selling game of the month, outpacing Hogwarts Legacy by more than 2.5 times. After just three weeks on sale, Zelda has already secured its position as the third best-selling game of the year across Europe, behind EA's FIFA 23 and Warner Bros' Hogwarts Legacy. Notably, Nintendo does not share digital download data with the charts, whereas EA and Warner Bros do. When considering only physical retail sales, Zelda is already the top-selling game of the year across European markets. Hogwarts Legacy saw a 321% jump in sales month-over-month due to the release of the PS4 and Xbox One versions, with 71.5% of its sales on PS4 and 11.7% on Xbox One. The only other new release in the Top 20 is Lego 2K Drive, which debuted at No.19. The Nintendo Switch has regained its position as Europe's No.1 console, driven by the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, with sales increasing by over 39% compared to May last year. PS5 secured the No.2 spot, with sales up 81% compared to May 2022. Xbox Series S and X followed in third position, with sales down 16% over the same period last year. A total of 429,000 games consoles were sold across tracked European markets, representing a 40% rise over the previous year. The peripherals and add-on products market also saw significant growth, with 1.3 million accessories and toys-to-life figures sold across Europe, a 30% year-on-year increase. The PS5 DualSense controller maintained its No.1 position, ahead of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, which saw a 530% sales jump following the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo was the fifth best-selling accessory of the month, while the Nintendo Switch OLED Carry Case debuted at No.10. Finally, the sales of points cards and wallets increased by 2.7% over May 2022, with the PlayStation Store Wallet Top-Up Card remaining the top-selling item.