UK Video Game Sales Soar in August, Driven by PS5 Success

The UK video game market experienced a significant boost in August, primarily driven by the strong performance of the PlayStation 5. According to data from GfK, over 135,000 gaming consoles were sold during the month, representing a 22% increase from July and an 8% rise compared to August of the previous year. The PlayStation 5 saw a substantial 42% month-over-month sales jump, largely attributed to aggressive price cuts and bundle deals offered throughout the summer. As a result, PS5 sales have increased by 60% year-to-date. In contrast, Nintendo Switch sales have begun to slow, with a 5% decline in August and a 10% decrease year-to-date. Xbox also saw growth, with Series S and X sales rising 7% from July, although sales remain down 23% year-to-date. The success of the PS5 has also led to an increase in accessory sales, with over 565,000 add-on products sold in August, a 3.5% increase from July and 1% higher than the same period last year. The top six best-selling accessories were all PS5-related, including various DualSense controllers and the DualSense Charging Station. In terms of game sales, 1.75 million games were sold in August, a 2.2% decrease from the previous year. However, this figure does not account for games from certain publishers, such as Larian, which would have likely boosted the overall sales. FIFA 23 was the best-selling game of the month, driven by a surge in sales for the Nintendo Switch version, while other notable releases included Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon and Red Dead Redemption, which re-entered the charts at number five. The remastered version of Quake 2 also made a comeback, reaching number 12 in the charts.