NBA 2K26 Tops U.S. Sales Charts for August 2025, Outselling All Competitors in Just Two Days

Sagar Mankar
Oct 10
3 min read

Take-Two’s basketball juggernaut dominates the monthly charts, while new releases and rising hardware sales push the U.S. gaming market to record highs.

NBA 2K26 video game character Basketball player in blue Thunder jersey, dribbling on court. Background shows a scoreboard with 3:02 and 16 in red. Intense focus. — NBA 2K26 (Credit: 2K)

NBA 2K26 Takes the Crown

NBA 2K26 was officially the best-selling premium video game of August 2025 in the United States, despite only being on sale for the final two days of the month. According to the latest data from Circana, which tracks both physical and digital game sales across major platforms, the game’s explosive launch not only made it August’s top seller but also pushed it to fifth place among 2025’s best-selling titles overall.

Developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports, the basketball series continues to be one of the strongest annual performers in North America. NBA 2K26 also led sales on both PlayStation and Xbox.

Right behind 2K’s hit was Madden NFL 26, while Mafia: The Old Country, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, and EA Sports College Football 26 rounded out the top five. Other notable entries include Gears of War: Reloaded at sixth and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar debuting at nineteenth.

How Did the Market Perform in August 2025?

According to Mat Priscella, analysts at Circana, total U.S. spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories reached $4.7 billion in August — an 11% year-over-year increase. That boost came largely from two sources: strong Nintendo Switch 2 sales and an uptick in mobile gaming revenue.

Year-to-date, the U.S. gaming market sits at $37.3 billion, marking a modest 1% overall growth from 2024. Hardware spending is up a healthy 20%, while accessories fell by about 6%.

Circana Chart showing U.S. video game sales for Aug 2025, with data for content, hardware, and accessories. Notable changes indicated in percentages. — August 2025 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights (Credit: Circana)

Capcom’s Monster Hunter: Wilds remains 2025’s best-selling game to date, holding its position at number one in Circana’s year-to-date rankings.

Nintendo Switch 2 Breaks Records

The Nintendo Switch 2 continues its meteoric performance since launch. In just three months, the console has sold 2.4 million units in the U.S., outpacing the PlayStation 4’s early sales by 5% and surpassing the original Switch’s debut by 77%.

Circana notes that the Switch 2’s performance now exceeds what was once considered the “record-setting pace” of Sony’s PS4 during its early years.

Mobile Gaming: Monopoly Go! Still Rules the Board

On the mobile side, Monopoly Go! continues to dominate U.S. consumer spending charts, followed closely by Royal Match, Last War: Survival, and Candy Crush Saga. But the mobile landscape is shifting fast.

As reported by Sensor Tower’s Sam Aune, this is a “new age of the U.S. top ten,” with fresh contenders like Kingshot and Royal Kingdom climbing the ranks while classics such as Gardenscapes and Homescapes slip to lower positions. Interestingly, Free Fire has now overtaken Call of Duty: Mobile in the U.S. for the first time since 2022, marking a surprise resurgence in the battle royale category.