What you need to know
- The latest data from Circana (once known as the NPG Group) is in, sharing details on video game industry sales for the month of August 2023.
- According to Circana, Madden NFL 24 was the best-selling game of the month, followed by Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon.
- Baldur's Gate 3 is not in the chart because Larian Studios doesn't share digital sales information.
- The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console by units and revenue, followed by the Xbox Series X|S.
We've got the latest report on how video games and hardware are selling.
Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella indicates that Madden NFL 24 was the best-selling game for the month of August 2023 in the U.S, followed closely by Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon in second place. These games instantly become the 6th and 20th best-selling games of 2023 in the U.S.
If you're thinking that there's a massive game not being counted for the month, you're correct. Baldur's Gate 3 launched on Windows PC back in August and quickly attained half a million concurrent players on Steam. The game's popularity should have seen it somewhere on the chart, but Larian Studios does not share digital sales data, so it can't be included.
As for console sales, the PlayStation 5 was the best-seller in dollar sales and units sold. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X|S consoles took second place in both categories. Total video game sales for the month reached $4.2 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year.
August 2023 Circana: Here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
1. Madden NFL 24
2. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
3. Remnant 2
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
5. Hogwarts Legacy
6. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*
7. Diablo 4
8. MLB The Show 23**
9. Minecraft
10. Mario Kart 8*
11. Pikmin 4*
12. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
13. Street Fighter 6
14. Elden Ring
15. FIFA 23
16. God of War Ragnarok
17. Final Fantasy 16
18. Gran Turismo 7
19. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
20. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
August 2023 Circana: Here are the best-selling games in the U.S. so far this year
1. Hogwarts Legacy
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*
3. Diablo 4
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
5. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
6. Madden NFL 24
7. Resident Evil 4 (2023)
8. MLB The Show 23**
9. Dead Island 2
10. Final Fantasy 16
11. Street Fighter 6
12. FIFA 23
13. Remnant 2
14. Dead Space (2023)
15. Elden Ring
16. Madden NFL 23
17. Mario Kart 8*
18. Minecraft
19. The Last of Us Part 1
20. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Analysis: Ravens rise up
I loved playing through Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, so to see it be successful like this is great. Moving forward, I hope FromSoftware can alternate between their Souls-type games and Armored Core. It'll provide variety for players and for the developers.
Outside of that, I'm very curious to see where Baldur's Gate 3 would've fallen if we had digital sales ranking info. My guess is at least 4th place, but regardless, it is a success.
It's unfortunate that Immortals of Aveum didn't make the top 20, but it's not surprising considering Ascendant Studios was just hit with massive layoffs, which were reportedly due to the game's poor sales.
