PS5 Takes the Lead Over Xbox Series X and S, F1 22 Remains at the Top in UK Monthly Charts

The UK gaming market experienced a slight downturn in console sales during July, with all major platforms seeing a decline. According to the GfK UK panel, approximately 104,000 gaming consoles were sold, marking a 16% decrease from the previous month. Year-to-date, console sales have dropped by 38%. Notably, July had four weeks, whereas June had five. The PS5 saw the smallest decline in sales at 14%, allowing it to become the UK's second most popular console of 2022, just behind the Nintendo Switch. However, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X continue to face stock shortages. F1 22 maintained its top position in the charts for the second consecutive month. The total number of physical and digital video games sold in the UK last month was 1.79 million, as per the latest GSD figures. This represents a 17% decline compared to the same period last year and a 32% drop from June 2022. The Quarry, released in June, continued to show promise at number eight, while Nintendo's Xenoblade Chronicles 3 debuted at number 13 after one week of sales. Since Nintendo does not release digital sales data, their games may have ranked higher if digital sales were included. In terms of physical sales alone, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was the best-selling game, followed by F1 22, Nintendo Switch Sports, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. Several games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Far Cry 6, re-entered the charts due to promotional activities. The success of the Horizon Forbidden West bundle has significantly contributed to the PS5's rise in fortunes, with 50% of PS5 console sales coming from the official bundle over the past three months. 'The rise in PS5's fortunes, apart from the variable of available stock, can be attributed to the success of the Horizon Forbidden West Official Bundles,' explains GfK games boss Dorian Bloch. The PS5 bundles have also boosted accessory sales, with 551,038 accessories and add-on products sold in the UK last month, a 5.7% decline from June and 4.8% down from July last year. The DualSense Wireless Controller White and Black remain the top accessories, while the Stealth C6-100 Gaming Headset from A4T saw a significant surge due to a bundle with the PlayStation 5 console at Argos.