August was a huge month for gaming as the entire industry saw a 29% rise compared to August 2022. The latest stats also exclude the widely popular Baldur’s Gate 3 which launched in early August and reached the second-most-played game on Steam. So this 29% is likely much bigger than that.
According to GSD, 10.7 million games from triple-A publishers were sold in Europe last month. Console sales were also at a record high with a 67% jump compared to August 2022.
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The big driving factor for this growth is mainly due to the PS5. Sony had multiple campaigns running during August which included slightly discounted console bundles. Of course, the PS5 is no longer in short supply and you can practically go into any store anywhere and pick one up.
As a result, Sony’s PS5 console saw a massive 197% jump in sales compared to August 2022. This caused a knock-on effect which saw game sales rise and even Grand Theft Auto 5 sales jumped 40% compared to 2022. FIFA 23 was, of course, the best-selling game in August even with a new EA Sports FC 24 game on the horizon.
When it comes to other consoles, the Xbox didn’t do so well in August. Compared to August 2022, console sales were down 12%. Nintendo, on the other hand, only saw a slight increase at 1%. The PS5 surge also saw a spike in accessories which increased 36% compared to 2022.
Considering Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a month away, we will likely see a further increase in PS5 sales leading up to the game’s launch.
Source: VGC
