Circana August 2026: U.S. Game Spending Slips 9% While Resident Evil: Requiem Holds the Lead

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shared U.S. video game industry data covering the reporting period from August 2 to August 29.

A major highlight of the report is that U.S. video game spending fell 9% in August 2026 compared to a year ago, and Capcom’s Resident Evil: Requiem still remains the best-selling game of the year so far.

How Did the Overall Market Perform in August?

Total spending across content, hardware, and accessories came in at $4,259 million, down from $4,666 million in August 2025. Year to date, spending sits at $36,282 million, a 3% drop from last year’s $37,438 million.

Here is the full breakdown for the month:

1. Total spending: $4,259M, down 9% (YTD: $36,282M, down 3%)

2. Video game content: $3,780M, down 10% (YTD: $32,163M, down 2%)

3. Hardware: $302M, down 3% (YTD: $2,543M, down 11%)

4. Accessories: $176M, up 3% (YTD: $1,576M, down 4%)

Content spending took the biggest hit. Mobile was the main reason, with an 18% decline based on Sensor Tower data. Console content slipped 7%.

On the bright side, PC content rose 13%, and subscriptions grew 3%.

Which Games Led the Charts in August?

Sports titles and new launches ruled the month. NBA 2K27 took the top spot by full game dollar sales, followed by Madden NFL 27. Six new titles entered the top 10.

1. NBA 2K27 (Take-Two Interactive), new

2. Madden NFL 27 (Electronic Arts), new

3. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (Sony), new

4. Kickoff Bundle (2026) (Electronic Arts), new

5. Star Wars: Zero Company (Electronic Arts), new

6. Halo: Campaign Evolved (Microsoft), last month #6

7. Elden Ring (Bandai Namco Entertainment), last month #41

8. Big Walk (Panic), new

9. Mario Kart World (Nintendo), last month #19

10. Splatoon Raiders (Nintendo), last month #7

Electronic Arts had three titles in the top 10, while Nintendo placed two. Halo: Campaign Evolved held steady at sixth.

The biggest mover of the month was Elden Ring. It climbed from 41st in July to 7th in August thanks to the release of a Switch 2 version.

Year-to-Date Chart

Resident Evil: Requiem has held the number one spot on the year-to-date chart for eight months running. The survival horror game launched on February 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. As per reports, Capcom has said worldwide sales passed 8.06 million units by late July. That makes it the fastest mainline Resident Evil title to reach the mark. Independent estimates from Alinea Analytics place its revenue above $500 million.

The top 10 for January 4 to August 29, 2026, is as follows:

1. Resident Evil: Requiem (Capcom USA)

2. 007 First Light (IO Interactive)

3. NBA 2K27 (Take-Two Interactive), new entry

4. MLB: The Show 26 (Multiple publishers)

5. Crimson Desert (Pearl Abyss)

6. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Microsoft)

7. Forza Horizon 6 (Microsoft)

8. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (Nintendo)

9. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Games)

10. Pokemon: Pokopia (Nintendo)

NBA 2K27 made the biggest entrance. It debuted in early access on August 26 and landed at third right away. That pushed Crimson Desert down from third to fifth. Every other title kept its previous position. Microsoft and Nintendo are the only publishers with two games each in this top 10.

Is the Hardware Market in Trouble?

Hardware had the toughest month. Spending fell 3% to $302 million, but unit sales tell a harsher story. Total hardware units dropped 15% to 559,000. That is the lowest August total since 2013.

The platform picture was uneven:

1. PlayStation 5 dollar sales grew 17% year over year, even though PlayStation units fell 11% to their lowest August total since 2013.

2. Xbox Series dollar sales dropped 13%, and units fell 31%, the lowest August since 2020.

3. Switch 2 dollar sales also dropped 13%, while Nintendo hardware units declined 15%.

4. Switch 2 still led the market in both units and dollars for August and for the year so far. PlayStation 5 ranked second.

Year to date, Xbox hardware units are down 33%. PlayStation units are down 25%. Piscatella has pointed to rising price sensitivity as a growing factor.

Pricing explains much of this. The average price paid for a new piece of hardware reached $541 in August. That is a record for the month, up from the previous August high of $476 set a year ago. Higher console prices, component costs and mid-generation upgrades like the PS5 Pro all play a part. Fewer people are buying, but those who do are spending more.

Accessories rose 3% in August, helped by remote play devices. PlayStation Portal was a strong performer. New physical software spending is up 5% year to date. A big reason is a 631% surge in Switch 2 Game-Key Card purchases, which offset declines elsewhere.

Sports franchises also proved reliable once again. New releases can still break through quickly, as NBA 2K27 showed.

Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on November 19 and is widely expected to reshape both software and hardware trends for the rest of 2026.