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GamesIndustry.biz
GamesIndustry.biz
· 1 month, 4 weeks ago • Vikki Blake

Despite Xbox console sales doubling YoY, hardware sales across the US are down 62% | US Monthly Charts

Briefing

US video game spending cooled sharply in June 2026, dropping from $5.7 billion to $4.5 billion year over year. Circana’s monthly data shows the steepest decline in hardware, which fell 62% to $383 million after a huge launch-year comparison against the Switch 2’s debut month.

Nintendo’s hardware spend was down 79% versus its June 2025 launch spike, while PlayStation 5 spending slipped 19%. Xbox Series was the outlier, more than doubling year over year, which suggests a very different promotional or supply picture on Microsoft’s side.

Software and accessories also softened, down 12% and 21% respectively, but the year-to-date picture is much steadier: combined hardware and software sales are only down about 1% versus last year. That matters for teams planning launches, because the market isn’t collapsing so much as rotating between platforms and release windows.

On the software side, June’s best-seller chart was led by EA’s UFC 6, with indie co-op title Meccha Chameleon debuting in second. 007 First Light fell to third, while Star Fox entered at fourth, and the rest of the top 10 shows a healthy mix of sports, licensed, and platform-driven releases.

“Xbox Series more than doubled.”

— Circana data · Year-over-year hardware comparison for June 2026
At a glance
what
US video game sales fell from $5.7 billion to $4.5 billion year over year in June 2026.
who
Circana tracked the monthly US sales data; Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, EA, and indie studio lemorion_1224 appear in the rankings.
when
The comparison covers June 2025 to June 2026, with the top-10 chart spanning May 31 to July 4, 2026.
impact
Hardware demand is highly volatile, so platform mix and launch timing can materially affect sales forecasts and release planning.
Signal Mixed

Overall spending is down, but software and YTD trends are steadier.

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