Circana reports projected U.S. total spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories fell 3% in April 2024 when compared to a year ago, to $4.1 billion. A 2% increase in content spending could not offset a 43% drop in hardware and a 4% decline in Accessories. The content spending growth was led by mobile, with growth from this segment offsetting a 24% year-on-year dip in content spending on Console platforms, according to Sensor Tower.
April video game hardware spending fell 43% when compared to a year ago, to $208 million. All current console hardware platforms fell a minimum of 26% year-on-year, with Switch showing the strongest year-on-year decline (69%). PlayStation 5 again led the month’s hardware market in unit and dollar sales. Nintendo Switch once again finished second in unit sales, while Xbox Series ranked second in dollars.
April spending on Accessories fell 4% when compared to a year ago to $152 million, driven by a 9% year-on-year decline in Gamepad spending. The PlayStation Portal was the best-selling accessory in dollar sales for both April and 2024 year-to-date.
Stellar Blade debuted as the best-selling premium game of April, and the No. 16 best-selling game of 2024 year-to-date. Stellar Blade was the only new release in April to rank among the month’s top 20 best-selling premium video games.
Helldivers II remains the best-selling premium game of 2024 year-to-date after placing second in April, repeating its March ranking. Helldivers II held on to its No. 2 ranking despite April dollar sales falling by more than 70% when compared to March.
TOP 10 GAMES FOR APRIL 2024
- Stellar Blade (Sony Corp.)
- Helldivers II (Sony Corp.)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) ((Activision Blizzard Corp.)
- Sea of Thieves (Microsoft Corp.)
- Fallout 4 (Microsoft Corp.)
- MLB: The Show 24 (multiple manufacturers)
- Dragon’s Dogma II (Capcom USA)
- Fallout 76 (Microsoft Corp.)
- Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros. Games)
- EA Sports FC 24 (Electronic Arts)
Sea of Thieves was the fourth best-selling game of April, following its launch on PlayStation platforms during the month, and was the No. 3 best-selling game on PlayStation platforms in April. Another title that saw a strong gain on the charts thanks to its release on PlayStation platforms was Grounded, which jumped from No. 167 on the March best-selling titles chart to No. 12 in April. Grounded was the ninth best-selling game on PlayStation platforms during April.
Fallout games also performed strongly in April, following the debut of the Fallout TV series. Fallout 4 ranked fifth on the April charts, after finishing March at No. 87, while Fallout 76 jumped from No. 159 in March to No. 8 in April. Fallout 4 ranked fourth in April monthly active users on Steam, at No. 6 on Xbox Series consoles, and No. 8 on PlayStation, according to Circana Player Engagement Tracker.
In Mobile content, Sensor Tower reports the top 10 games by U.S. consumer spending in April as Monopoly Go!, Royal Match, Candy Crush Saga, Roblox, Last War: Survival, Coin Master, Whiteout Survival, Township, Evony, and Clash of Clans. “While U.S. consumer spend declined 6% from March 2024, the year-over-year growth trend continues, with April 2024 U.S. consumer spend up 12% from April 2023,” says Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower.
