PS5 knocks Switch off the top of the US charts, Pokemon Legends : Arceus tops software - January NPD
PS5 and Xbox Series X/S were the big movers on the hardware chart.
The NPD has released its January 2022 report covering video game hardware, software, and accessory sales in the US.
According to the NPD, January 2022 consumer spending declined 2% when compared to a year ago, to $4.7 billion. The double-digit percentage gain in hardware spending wasn't able to offset declines.
Hardware dollar sales increased 22% year-over-year (yoy) to $390 million, making it the highest since January 2009 when hardware reached $447 million.
PS5 was the best-selling hardware platform of January 2022 in both units and dollars followed by Xbox Series X/S across both measures. This is the first time in ages that Nintendo Switch didn't top the NPD hardware chart.
In software, Pokemon Legends: Arceus was January's best-selling game, followed by Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Monster Hunter Rise came in third, and God of War (2018) landed in fifth place. Both saw a substantial rise on the chart thanks to their respective Steam releases.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales ranked as the sixth best-selling game of January overall while placing second on PlayStation platforms.
Best-selling games per platform can be found below.
US mobile game spending was down 6.8% yoy. According to the NPD, the drop signaled a return to pre-pandemic revenue trends after unprecedented growth during most of 2020 and 2021.
Sales of accessoriesdeclined by 15% yoy to $185 million. The Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller was the best-selling accessory of January.
