Circana has released an end-of-year report for video games. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the year’s best-selling game, but overall sales declined compared to last year.
The global company that provides data and analytics regarding consumer behavior reports that consumer spending on hardware, content, and accessories declined. It also reported an increase in video game content spending and the top-selling titles of the year.
Consumers spent a total of $58.7 billion on video games in 2024. Spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories declined 8.9% compared to 2023 and fell 1.1% during the year. The biggest drop in spending was on hardware, which fell 29%. Sales of PlayStation 5 this year rocketed the console to No. 3 in lifetime hardware sales, behind Nintendo’s Switch and Xbox 360.
Video game content spending increased by 2% to $50.6 billion. Spending on video game content in 2024 was second only to 2021, which saw $52 billion in purchases. The industry also saw growth in mobile and non-mobile subscriptions and PC, cloud, and non-console segments.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 took the top title for the year and the month of December, having held second place for the month of November. Other Call of Duty games dominated the year-end charts across platforms; it is the best-selling video game franchise in the country for the 16th consecutive year. Sports College Football 25 from Electronic Arts (EA) and Sony’s Hell Divers II took second and third place; Sports College Football 25 is the greatest-selling sports video game in U.S. history.
Classic and restored titles dominated across platforms, including the restored Grand Theft Auto V, Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite. Gamers were drawn to Mario Party Jamboree, Marvel Rivals, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the only December release to rank for the month’s top 20.
For additional insight on Circana’s report, visit circana.com.
