European Summer Sales Boost GTA 5 to Top Spot

The European gaming market saw a significant surge in July, with 11.6 million console and PC games sold, representing a 34% increase from the same period in 2022. Digital sales accounted for nearly 7.9 million of these, up 60% from last year, while physical sales reached 3.75 million, with a modest 0.2% increase. According to GSD data, which tracks digital sales from major AAA game publishers across Europe and physical sales in key European markets, major summer promotions on PlayStation and Xbox consoles have reshuffled the charts. Grand Theft Auto 5 has reclaimed the top spot, and Red Dead Redemption 2 has risen to No.3, both of which were discounted on console last month, particularly on PlayStation. The highest charting new game, Pikmin 4, debuted at No.11, with sales up 81% compared to Pikmin 3: Deluxe in its first two weeks on the market. In terms of console sales, 493,000 units were sold across tracked European countries, a 62.5% increase from July 2022, but 2% down from June. The PS5 led the month, with sales up 244% from last year, driven by strong price promotions. Nintendo Switch sales were down 9% compared to July 2022, but year-to-date sales remain flat. The GSD digital data includes sales from participating companies like Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft, and covers games sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop.