This the NPD data for 2021, which covers the sales for United States. The gaming industry generated $60.399 billion, up 8% from 2020[1]. This is the first full year to feature Playstation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.
Overall[]
A total of $6.056 billion for Hardware. This is up 14% from 2020. For software, there was a total of $51.69 billion, up 726% from from 2020. For Accessories, there was a total of $2.652 billion, up 2% from 2020. Mobile spending has also increased by nearly 14% from 2020.
In terms of hardware, the Nintendo Switch led the year in both units and dollar sales. The second place belongs to Playstation 5 with the Xbox Series consoles ending the year 3rd in units and dollar sales. Both the new consoles ended up facing much harsher supply constrains compared to the Switch.
In terms of software, Call of Duty once again ranked as the best selling game in dollar sales. The franchise has done so for the 13th consecutive year. Pokémon also achieved a franchise high, achieving the highest dollar sales for the franchise since 2000. Resident Evil had its best year for the franchise. MLB The Show 21 became the best selling baseball game in US history. Interestingly, 7 of the best selling titles ranked in the top 20 for 2020. Three of them also ranked in the 2019 best sellers.
Monthly Performance[]
| Month | Hardware | Video Game Content | Accessories | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | $319m | $4.17b | $222m | $4.71b |
| February | $406m | $4.00b | $195m | $4.60b |
| March | $680m | $4.63b | $300m | $5.61b |
| April | $296m | $4.18b | $168m | $4.65b |
| May | $244m | $4.07b | $142m | $4.45b |
| June | $401m | $4.32b | $207m | $4.93b |
| July | $323m | $4.09b | $186m | $4.60b |
| August | $329m | $3.88b | $164m | $4.37b |
| September | $412m | $3,78b | $171m | $4.36b |
| October | $472m | $3.758b | $158m | $4.39b |
| November | $883m | $5.14b | $258m | $6.28b |
| December | $1.32b | $5.73b | $493m | $7.55b |
| Total | $6.056b | $51.692b | $2.652b | $60.399b |
Lists[]
The NPD Group listed the top for overall and each platform for 2021. It includes full game digital from the Nintendo eShop, Playstation Store, Xbox Store and the Steam marketplace for participants in the Digital Leader Panel.[2]
*means no Digital Data
** means no data from certain storefronts such as Battle.net
Overall Top 20[]
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Madden NFL 22
- Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*
- Battlefield 2042
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
- Resident Evil: Village
- MLB: The Show 21**
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury*
- Far Cry 6
- FIFA 22
- Minecraft
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
- NBA 2K22*
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Back 4 Blood
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Forza Horizon 5
Switch[]
There is no digital data for Nintendo-published games
- Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Monster Hunter Rise
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Mario Party Superstars
- Pokémon Sword/Shield
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
- Metroid Dread
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- New Pokemon Snap
- Minecraft
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars
- Super Mario Party
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Mario Golf: Super Rush
- Luigi's Mansion 3
Playstation[]
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Madden NFL 22
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- MLB: The Show 21
- Battlefield 2042
- FIFA 22
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Resident Evil: Village
- Far Cry 6
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- NBA 2K22*
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Minecraft
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2020)
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
- Madden NFL 21
Xbox[]
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Madden NFL 22
- Battlefield 2042
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo: Infinite
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- FIFA 22
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2020)
- Resident Evil: Village
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
- NBA 2K22*
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Forza Horizon 4
- Madden NFL 21
- Back 4 Blood
- MLB: The Show 21*
- Minecraft
- It Takes Two
Mobile[]
- Candy Crush Saga
- Roblox
- Coin Master
- Garena Free Fire
- Pokemon GO
- Genshin Impact
- Homescapes
- Lords Mobile: Tower Defense
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Clash of Clans
2024 Update[]
In January 2024, Circana published revised rankings for the year based on revenue. It does include digital for members of the Digital Leader Panel, including companies such as Take Two and Bethesda, which were not members at the time.[3]
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- NBA 2K22
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Madden NFL 22
- Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*
- Battlefield 2042
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Resident Evil: Village
- MLB: The Show 21**
- Far Cry 6
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury*
- FIFA 22
- Minecraft
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
- NBA 2K21
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Back 4 Blood