{
  "id": 2161733,
  "title": "US physical game sales drop to lowest monthly total since 1995 | US Monthly Charts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/us-physical-game-sales-drop-to-lowest-monthly-total-since-1995-us",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-20T15:20:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GamesIndustry",
    "slug": "gamesindustry",
    "url": "https://www.gamesindustry.biz/us-physical-game-sales-drop-to-lowest-monthly-total-since-1995-us-monthly-charts"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US physical software sales plunged to $85 million in July, marking the lowest monthly total since 1995, according to Circana's tracking. PlayStation accounted for 32% of consumer spending on new physical games, while Nintendo platforms led with 63%. Mat Piscatella revealed that seven PlayStation games sold over 100,000 units in the US, but only two surpassed 10,000 units in the week ending July 11. Hardware spending dropped 29% year-over-year to $282 million, the lowest July total since 2020, while hardware unit sales decreased by 39%. The Switch 2's record-breaking launch in June continues to impact hardware sales, along with ongoing shortages of RAM and components. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series saw declines in hardware unit sales: PS5 dropped 6%, Xbox Series 18%, and Switch 2 fell the most at 51%. Despite the decline, Switch 2 led in units sold, while PS5 led in revenue. Total video game spending on content, hardware, and accessories fell by 10% year-over-year to $4.5 billion in July, even though six new releases ranked in the Top 10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 topped the charts, driven by the launch of its PS4 and PS5 ports, while EA Sports College Football 27 ranked second in full-dollar sales. Pokémon Go rose to third place, with revenue up 230% month-over-month, driven by its 10th anniversary celebrations and Road to Legends event. Content spending declined by 9% to $4.1 billion, mainly due to lower mobile spending.",
  "summary": "US physical software sales fell to $85 million in July, the lowest monthly total since Circana began tracking in 1995. Read more",
  "key_points": [
    "US physical game sales dropped to $85 million in July, lowest since 1995",
    "PlayStation accounted for 32% of consumer spending on new physical games",
    "Nintendo platforms led with 63% market share in July"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}