[GameSpot] - Best-Selling Games And Systems Of May 2021 Revealed (US)

[343iBot]

The NPD Group has released its latest monthly report for the US video game industry, revealing which games and consoles sold the best during May 2021. The report also covers how well the industry overall performed during the month.

Here are the big takeaways.

Overall

Total spending on games in the US during May 2021--spanning hardware, games, and accessories--rose by 3% to $4.5 billion. Year-to-date, meanwhile, spending rose by 17% to $24 billion. These are both year-over-year comparisons.

Hardware

For game consoles, total spending on hardware rose by 5% year-over-year to $244 million for May 2021. Spending on hardware year-to-date performed even better, jumping by 36% to $1.9 billion so far in 2021.

The Nintendo Switch was once again the top-selling home console in the US during May 2021, outperforming the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S systems (which remain difficult to find in many places).

The Switch was the top-performer both in terms of total units sold and dollars spent for both May 2021 and year-to-date.

Games

Shifting to games, total spending on software for May 2021 rose to $4.06 billion, which was up 3% year-over-year. Year-to-date, spending on games surged by 15% to $21 billion.

Resident Evil Village was the month's best-seller overall, and it quickly became the second best-selling game of 2021 so far. MLB The Show 21, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, New Pokemon Snap, and Mortal Kombat 11 rounded out the top five for May 2021.

May 2021 Top-Selling Games All Platforms

• Resident Evil Village
• MLB The Show 21^
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
• New Pokemon Snap*
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Mario Kart 8*
• Returnal
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
• Minecraft
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Super Mario 3D World*
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
• It Takes Two
• Biomutant*
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Monster Hunter: Rise
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
• Pokemon: Sword/Shield*
• Days Gone

*Digital sales not included

^ Xbox digital sales not included

Accessories

The accessories category was the only segment to drop year-over-year, with total spending falling by 8% to $142 million for May 2021. Year-to-date spending has now reached $1 billion, which is up 17% year-over-year. Steering wheel accessories are doing especially well, rising by more than 45% in terms of revenue year-over-year. The Logitech G920 Driving Force racing wheel is 2021's best-selling steering wheel so far.

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