Circana has released its May 2026 U.S. video game sales report, revealing that consumer spending increased 3% year-over-year to $4.2 billion, driven by strong software sales and continued momentum for Nintendo Switch 2.
According to the report, total video game spending reached $4.182 billion during the month, while year-to-date spending climbed 4% to $22.997 billion. Content spending grew 1% to $3.765 billion, hardware spending surged 38% to $249 million, and accessories increased 8% to $168 million.
007 First Light debuted as the best-selling game of May based on physical and full-game digital dollar sales. The title also became the fourth best-selling game of 2026 year-to-date and recorded the highest launch-month dollar sales of any James Bond game in franchise history.
Forza Horizon 6 ranked second for the month and finished May as the fifth best-selling game of the year. It also topped full-game dollar sales on both Xbox and PC platforms. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight placed third, followed by Subnautica 2 in fourth and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream in fifth.
The full top 10 best-selling games for May were:
- 007 First Light
- Forza Horizon 6
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- Subnautica 2
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
- MLB: The Show 26
- Crimson Desert
- Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
- Mario Kart World
Resident Evil: Requiem remained the best-selling game of 2026 year-to-date, ahead of Crimson Desert and MLB: The Show 26. 007 First Light climbed to fourth, while Forza Horizon 6 entered the chart in fifth.
On the hardware side, Nintendo Switch 2 was once again the best-selling console in both units and dollar sales for May and for 2026 year-to-date. Circana also reported that the system reached a U.S. installed base of 5.9 million units during its first 12 months, making it the second fastest-selling video game platform in U.S. tracked history behind only the Game Boy Advance.
PlayStation 5 ranked second in hardware sales, although spending on the platform declined 43% year-over-year and unit sales fell 58%, which Circana attributed to recent price increases. Xbox Series hardware spending increased 7%, while unit sales declined 12%.
Circana also noted that PlayStation hardware unit sales reached their lowest level for a May since 2000, while Xbox recorded its lowest May hardware unit sales on record. The average selling price of new gaming hardware rose 14% year-over-year to $502, with the average PlayStation 5 price increasing 33% to $672 and Xbox Series averaging $524.
Console software was the primary driver of content growth during May, with spending rising 25% compared to the same period last year. PC content spending increased 15%, while subscription spending grew 11%.
In the accessories category, spending rose 8% to $168 million. Racing controller sales increased 95% year-over-year following the launch of Forza Horizon 6, with the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel finishing as the month’s best-selling racing controller by consumer spending.
