Projected total market U.S. spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories grew 15% in January compared to a year ago, reaching $5.1 billion, according to Circana data. A 15% increase in spending on video game content drove the market’s overall gain.
Growth in digital content spending across console, PC and VR platforms, along with a 5% increase in mobile games spending, drove the content increase compared to a year ago.
Palworld was January’s biggest new release story, ranking first in monthly active users on Steam during January, according to Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, while placing third on Xbox platforms behind only Fortnite and Call of Duty HQ.
January video game hardware spending fell 4% when compared to January 2023, to $378 million. Growth in Xbox Series hardware dollar sales was unable to offset declines across other platforms. PlayStation 5 was the best-selling hardware platform of January 2024 in both units and dollars, with Switch placing second in unit sales and Xbox Series ranking No. 2 in dollar sales.
Spending on video game accessories increased 45% when compared to January 2023, to $246 million. Gamepad spending increased by more than 50% year-on-year. The PlayStation 5 Dual Sense Edge was the best-selling video game accessory of January in dollar sales. PlayStation Portal was shifted from the hardware category to accessories with January data. PlayStation Portal ranked fifth among video game accessories in consumer spending during January.
Leading all new game releases was Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Tekken 8, which ranked second in January, with both unit and dollar sales growth compared to the June 2017 release of Tekken 7. Other new releases ranking among the top 10 include Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (No. 3), P3: Persona 3: Reload (No. 4), and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (No. 7).
TOP 10 GAMES FOR JANUARY 2024
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (Activision Blizzard)
- TEKKEN 8 (Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (Warner Bros. Games)
- P3: Persona 3: Reload (multiple manufacturers)
- Madden NFL 24 (Electronic Arts)
- Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros. Games)
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Sega)
- EA Sports FC 24 (Electronic Arts)
- The Last of Us: Part II (Sony)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Sony)
In mobile content, Sensor Tower reports the top 10 games by U.S. consumer spending in January as Monopoly Go!, Royal Match, Roblox, Candy Crush Saga, Coin Master, Township, Whiteout Survival, Jackpot Party — Casino Slots, Clash of Clans, and Pokémon Go.
“The highlights of this month are Township and Whiteout Survival, both of which jumped up five ranks to take middle spots in the top 10 list. Whiteout Survival is the 2023 4x strategy launch from Century Games that has been somewhat flying under the radar so far despite being the third biggest launch of 2023,” says Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower. “Township is the other highlight, but in contrast to the newly launched Whiteout Survival, Township has been around for over a decade. Township‘s revenue spiked on Jan. 19, coinciding with the beginning of its Brazilian Carnival in-app event. The higher-level trend here is that Playrix and other publishers are continuing to find success monetizing their existing audiences through live opportunities in a time when targeted user acquisition costs are high.”
Please note that January 2024 was a five-week tracking period, as compared to January 2023’s four-week tracking period (Circana). Please note that Palworld publisher Pocket Pair is not a DLP participating publisher, therefore digital sales of Palworld are not included in the best-selling title reporting (Circana).
