Circana February 2024: #1 Helldivers 2 #2 FF7 Rebirth #4 Skull and Bones #8 FF7 Twin Pack; PS5 #1 Units+Rev, Switch #2 Units Xbox #2 Rev [UP in OP]

State of the market​

Projected U.S. total spending on video game hardware, content and accessories grew 2% in Feb vs YA, to $4.7B. 17% growth in Mobile content spending vs YA helped offset a 30% drop in hardware. (Mobile source: Sensor Tower)

Circana - U.S. Video Game Industry Sales - February 2024 (Dollars, Millions) Reporting Period: 2/4/2024 through 3/2/2024 (4 weeks)	Feb-23	Feb-24	Change
Total Video Game Sales	$4,636	$4,714	2%
Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)	$3,962	$4,146	5%
Video Game Hardware	$498	$349	-30%
Video Game Accessories	$175	$219	45%

*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower

Circana - U.S. Video Game Industry Sales - February 2023 (Dollars, Millions) Reporting Period: 12/30/2023 through 3/2/2024 (9 weeks)	YTD End Feb 2023	YTD End Feb 2024	Change
Total Video Game Sales	$9,058	$9,783	8%
Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC, and VR platforms)	$7,819	$8,590	10%
Video Game Hardware	$894	$727	-19%
Video Game Accessories	$345	$465	35%

*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower

Hardware​

February video game hardware spending declined 30% when compared to a year ago, to $349 million. All console platforms were down a minimum of 19% compared to a year ago.

PlayStation 5 led the February and year-to-date hardware market in both unit and dollar sales. Nintendo Switch finished 2nd in unit sales, while Xbox Series placed 2nd in dollars across both time periods.

Software​

To go along with the growth in Mobile, February 2024 consumer spending in the PC, Cloud and Non-Console VR content segment increased by a high single-digit percentage when compared to a year ago, while both the Console as well as the Subscription content segments declined.

Helldivers II debuted as the best-selling premium game of the year. Helldivers II launch month dollar sales represent the 7th highest total ever achieved by a Sony published title in the U.S. (excludes add-on content). Nearly 60% of Helldivers II sales in Feb came from Steam.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was the #2 best-selling premium game of February, instantly becoming the 4th best-selling game of 2024 YTD. Also debuting on the chart in February was the Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack, placing 8th in February and at #16 for the year.

Dead Island 2 was released on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in February without an announcement from either Microsoft or publisher Plaion prior to its release. This helped Dead Island 2 jump from #121 in Xbox Series monthly active users in January to 8th on the February chart.

Mobile​

Sensor Tower reports the top 10 Mobile games by U.S. consumer spend in Feb and rank chg vs Jan as: MONOPOLY GO!, Royal Match, Roblox, Candy Crush Saga, Pokémon Go (+5), Coin Master (-1), Whiteout Survival, Clash of Clans (+1), Jackpot Party – Casino Slots (-1), and Township (-4).

“The biggest news this month is that Sensor Tower data now shows that US mobile gaming spend is up a whopping 17% year-on-year in February 2024. This lift looks to be due to... games like MONOPOLY GO!, which didn't exist a year ago,” said Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower.

“Pokémon GO had some of its biggest annual events in February, leading to a 60% increase in spend for the month over its January 2024 revenue… Township drove 20% less spend than the previous month," said Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower.

Accessories​

Accessories spending in February grew 25% when compared to a year ago to $219M, driven in part by a 14% increase in Gamepad spending and the new Remote Play Devices accessories segment (which includes PlayStation Portal).

PlayStation Portal was the best-selling Accessory of February in dollar sales, while the PS5 Dual Sense Edge Wireless Controller remains the best-selling accessory of 2024 year-to-date.

Software Charts​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	NEW	Helldivers II	Sony (Corp)	4
2	NEW	Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth	Square Enix Inc (Corp)	1
3	1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)	Activision Blizzard (Corp)	-
4	NEW	Skull and Bones	Ubisoft	3
5	2	Tekken 8	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
6	5	Madden NFL 24 [EA Sports]	Electronic Arts	-
7	3	Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League	Warner Bros. Games	-
8	NEW	Final Fantasy VII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack	Square Enix Inc (Corp)	1
9	4	P3: Persona 3: Reload [Shin Megami Tensei]	Multiple Video Game Manufacturers	-
10	6	Hogwarts Legacy	Warner Bros. Games	-
11	NEW	Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2024)*	Nintendo	3
12	8	EA Sports FC 24	Electronic Arts	-
13	10	Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Sony)	Sony (Corp)	-
14	14	Elden Ring	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
15	11	Super Mario Bros Wonder*	Nintendo	-
16	17	Minecraft	Multiple Video Game Manufacturers	-
17	18	Mario Kart 8*	Nintendo	-
18	15	Mortal Kombat 1	Warner Bros. Games	-
19	21	Rainbow Six: Siege [Tom Clancy's]	Ubisoft	-
20	12	Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora	Ubisoft	-

* Digital sales not included

Year to Date​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	NEW	Helldivers II	Sony (Corp)	4
2	1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)	Activision Blizzard (Corp)	-
3	2	Tekken 8	Bandai Namco Entertainment	6
4	NEW	Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth	Square Enix Inc (Corp)	1
5	3	Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League	Warner Bros. Games	5
6	5	Madden NFL 24 [EA Sports]	Electronic Arts	-
7	4	P3: Persona 3: Reload [Shin Megami Tensei]	Multiple Video Game Manufacturers	5
8	6	Hogwarts Legacy	Warner Bros. Games	-
9	NEW	Skull and Bones	Ubisoft	3
10	8	EA Sports FC 24	Electronic Arts	-
11	10	Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Sony)	Sony (Corp)	-
12	7	Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth	Sega	6
13	9	The Last of Us: Part II	Sony (Corp)	-
14	11	Super Mario Bros Wonder*	Nintendo	-
15	14	Elden Ring	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
16	NEW	Final Fantasy VII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack	Square Enix Inc (Corp)	1
17	12	Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora	Ubisoft	-
18	17	Minecraft	Multiple Video Game Manufacturers	-
19	15	Mortal Kombat 1	Warner Bros. Games	-
20	18	Mario Kart 8*	Nintendo	-

PlayStation Platforms​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	NEW	Helldivers II	Sony (Corp)	4
2	NEW	Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth	Square Enix Inc (Corp)	1
3	1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)	Activision Blizzard (Corp)	-
4	NEW	Final Fantasy VII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack	Square Enix Inc (Corp)	1
5	NEW	Skull and Bones	Ubisoft	3
6	5	Madden NFL 24 [EA Sports]	Electronic Arts	-
7	3	Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League	Warner Bros. Games	-
8	2	Tekken 8	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
9	7	Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Sony)	Sony (Corp)	-
10	4	P3: Persona 3: Reload [Shin Megami Tensei]	Multiple Video Game Manufacturers	-

Xbox Platforms​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)	Activision Blizzard (Corp)	-
2	NEW	Skull and Bones	Ubisoft	3
3	2	Madden NFL 24 [EA Sports]	Electronic Arts	-
4	3	Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League	Warner Bros. Games	-
5	4	Tekken 8	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
6	5	Hogwarts Legacy	Warner Bros. Games	-
7	6	EA Sports FC 24	Electronic Arts	-
8	7	Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora	Ubisoft	-
9	10	Elden Ring	Bandai Namco Entertainment	-
10	17	Call of Duty: Black Ops III	Activision Blizzard (Corp)	-

Nintendo Platforms​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	NEW	Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2024)*	Nintendo	3
2	1	Super Mario Bros Wonder*	Nintendo	-
3	3	Hogwarts Legacy	Warner Bros. Games	-
4	2	Mario Kart 8*	Nintendo	-
5	6	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*	Nintendo	-
6	4	Just Dance 2024 Edition	Ubisoft	-
7	7	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*	Nintendo	-
8	8	Pokemon: Scarlet/Violet*	Nintendo	-
9	9	Minecraft*	Nintendo	-
10	10	Mario Party Superstars*	Nintendo	-

* Digital sales not included

Monthly Active User Engagement
Top 10 Games Played on PlayStation 5 Ranked by Monthly Active Users (US)​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	1	Fortnite	Epic Games	-
2	2	Call of Duty HQ*	Activision	-
3	3	Grand Theft Auto V (Remastered)	Rockstar Games	-
4	5	NBA 2K24	2K Sports	-
5	6	Madden NFL 24 [EA Sports]	Electronic Arts	-
6	4	Roblox	Roblox Corporation	-
7	NEW	Helldivers II	Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios	4
8	8	Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Sony)	Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.	-
9	11	Apex Legends	Electronic Arts	-
10	12	Minecraft	Mojang Studios, Xbox Game Studios	-

*Includes Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III activity

Top 10 Games Played on Xbox Series Ranked by Monthly Active Users (US)​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher
1	1	Fortnite	Epic Games
2	2	Call of Duty HQ*	Activision
3	3	Palworld	Pocket Pair Inc.
4	9	Madden NFL 24 [EA Sports]	Electronic Arts
5	4	Grand Theft Auto V (Remastered)	Rockstar Games
6	5	Roblox	Roblox Corporation
7	6	Minecraft	Mojang Studios, Xbox Game Studios
8	121	Dead Island 2	Deep Silver
9	7	Rainbow Six: Siege [Tom Clancy's]	Ubisoft Entertainment SA
10	12	Apex Legends	Electronic Arts

*Includes Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III activity

Top 10 Games Played on Steam Ranked by Monthly Active Users (US)​

Rank	Prior Month	Game	Publisher	Weeks in Tracking
1	NEW	Helldivers II	Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios	4
2	1	Palworld	Pocket Pair Inc.	-
3	3	Counter-Strike 2	Valve	-
4	2	Lethal Company	Zeekerss	-
5	4	Baldur's Gate III	Larian Studios	-
6	7	Enshrouded	Keen Games	-
7	113	Last Epoch	Eleventh Hour Games	-
8	6	Rocket League	Psyonix	-
9	5	The Finals	Embark Studios	-
10	16	Elden Ring	Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.	-

Rankings
Units: PS5 > NSW > XBS
Revenue: PS5 > XBS > NSW

Update
Each console is down at least 19% YOY in revenue. Xbox Series is the console at -19%. Other console fell more.

Thanks Mat Piscatella!

NPD Archives

 

[NobsPlaystation]

Bloodbath, everybody down at least 19%.

Edit: Wait, was 2023 a 5 week month or something?

 

[ILikeFeet]

Wonder how FF7R2 did compared to the first. Placement doesn't tell us much

 

[BoktaiFan]

I have to say my favorite part of helldivers (and palworld honestly) success is that (in addition to MS multiplat shift) it makes the COD antitrust arguments looks so hilarious in retrospect.

Remember when PS said they would die if COD was taken away because nothing could possibly match it. And they got the FTC to parrot that!

 

[Vena]

Big hardware drops going into February... which I don't think comes as too big of a surprise.

 

[Welfare]

Mat Piscatella

@MatPiscatella

All console platforms were down a minimum of 19% compared to a year ago.

 

[Quinton]

Quite a hardware drop, whew.

 

[Welfare]

Using 19% drops YOY would mean at most:

PS5: <<470K
Switch: <<230K
XBS: <<210K

 

[GamingCJ]

Using 19% drops YOY would mean at most:

PS5: <<470K
Switch: <<230K
XBS: <<210K

Unfortunately Mat didn't specify if he meant units or dollars being down 19%+

 

[Belthazar]

Were Rebirth copies sold through the Twin pack counted separately? It does make sense on a revenue based chart, we there wouldn't be a way to split the two games.

Also, no last 12 months ranking sucks... YTD really doesn't tell much.

 

[enpleinjour]

Is this confirmed for units or revenue? Press release is dubious as well.

 

[Luke88]

Helldivers and FF7R could do nothing for the lack of a Hogwarts Legacy equivalent. Sadly PoP is nowhere to be found, even on the Switch Top 10.

 

[Belthazar]

Helldivers and FF7R could do nothing for the lack of a Hogwarts Legacy equivalent. Sadly PoP is nowhere to be found, even on the Switch Top 10.

I feel like it was one of those cases where the demo did more harm than good.

 

[NobsPlaystation]

The Padres are playing a crazy game in South Korea, let's give Mat some time to recover, then he will clarify. xD

 

[derby_440]

Unfortunately Mat didn't specify if he meant units or dollars being down 19%+

Sound like units to me. Overall hardware is down 30% in dollars.

edit: its actually $ and not units as per Mat tweet now.

 

[jonno394]

Helldivers 2 being top of the YTD chart when its $ sales and not a full price retail title is a fantastic performance. I really need to jump on the band wagon and check it out.

 

[Sealife01]

Suicide Squad held better than I thought

 

[Luke88]

I feel like it was one of those cases where the demo did more harm than good.

You mean for PoP or FF7R? I feel like the demos were very well received for both!

 

[Remember_spinal]

I have to say my favorite part of helldivers (and palworld honestly) success is that (in addition to MS multiplat shift) it makes the COD antitrust arguments looks so hilarious in retrospect.

Remember when PS said they would die if COD was taken away because nothing could possibly match it. And they got the FTC to parrot that!

I don’t think COD is in any danger of being replaced by Helldivers

 

[Welfare]

Mat Piscatella

@MatPiscatella

Yep, digital editions reached their highest unit share of total PS5 in Feb, little over a third.

 

[Quinton]

My takeaway re: Rebirth's chart position is that, while it was expected, it's still good to know we haven't entered that game's worst-case scenario in which it somehow didn't make second place.

 

[opaidiota]

My takeaway re: Rebirth's chart position is that, while it was expected, it's still good to know we haven't entered that game's worst-case scenario in which it somehow didn't make second place.

But we entered a strange and good (I guess) scenario where the game was in second and eighth place lol

 

[Quinton]

But we entered a strange and good (I guess) scenario where the game was in second and eighth place lol

That's true, haha. Didn't see that one coming.

 

[BoktaiFan]

I don’t think COD is in any danger of being replaced by Helldivers

That's not what I'm saying. These games (Helldivers,Palworld, higwarts) show a dynamic market.

The idea that if COD left PS that PS would suddenly die or be unable to find or create a replacement is what is laughable.

The idea that COD alone is sacred and needs to be open to all lest the market be doomed to monopoly is and remains a fiction

 

[awng782]

Helldivers II debuted as the best-selling premium game of the year. Helldivers II launch month dollar sales represent the 7th highest total ever achieved by a Sony published title in the U.S. (excludes add-on content). Nearly 60% of Helldivers II sales in Feb came from Steam.

Steam had a bigger share of Helldivers 2 sales in the US than in Europe (~60% vs 56%), pretty impressive.

 

[Turin]

Could Rebirth in second mean low sales or did Helldivers go far beyond expectations?

And 60% of sales through Seam shows that the decision to launch the game as a multiplatform made all the difference. Without the PC, perhaps the game wouldn't have gone so viral.

Skull and Bones in fourth place should set a very low value for those below him. I can't imagine this game selling 100,000 units.

 

[Kmds]

Xbox was surprisingly the 19% drop. This year is gonna look rough for HD Twins without serious price cuts and therefore profit losses.

 

[Welfare]

My estimates going by the revenue drop YOY

PS5: ~410K
NSW: ~220K
XBS: ~195K

 

[Quinton]

Xbox was surprisingly the 19% drop. This year is gonna look rough for HD Twins without serious price cuts and therefore profit losses.

Am I missing something? Looking at the tweet, and it says PS5 is the -19%, not Xbox.

 

[Welfare]

Xbox was surprisingly the 19% drop. This year is gonna look rough for HD Twins without serious price cuts and therefore profit losses.

uh why link that tweet at all?

 

[Deckard Cain]

Xbox was surprisingly the 19% drop. This year is gonna look rough for HD Twins without serious price cuts and therefore profit losses.

Who is trex32hyre and where did he get his numbers from? If you can’t answer that perhaps don’t post nonsense tweets.

 

[Kmds]

uh why link that tweet at all?

Am I missing something? Looking at the tweet, and it says PS5 is the -19%, not Xbox.

It was a mistake, meant to link the tweet where he says Xbox series was actually the best performer relative to other consoles.

 

[Quinton]

I just noticed the tone to the tweet, lawl. I guess whether or not I misunderstood is immaterial at this point.

It was a mistake, meant to link the tweet where he says Xbox series was actually the best performer relative to other consoles.

Ahhh, okay.

 

[GaiusBaltar25]

Helldivers 2 is selling amazingly well. It will be interesting to see where it charts in March. I'm also glad that FF7 Rebirth isn't a complete failure.

That's not what I'm saying. These games (Helldivers,Palworld, higwarts) show a dynamic market.

The idea that if COD left PS that PS would suddenly die or be unable to find or create a replacement is what is laughable.

The idea that COD alone is sacred and needs to be open to all lest the market be doomed to monopoly is and remains a fiction

The primary reason why COD is different is because it's able to come out every year and is usually the top-selling game of the year. It's still incredibly important to Sony's financials, though that's more Sony's fault than anything.

 

[Welfare]

Mat Piscatella

@MatPiscatella

Xbox Series was actually the best performer relative to other platforms.

 

[Luke88]

Could Rebirth in second mean low sales or did Helldivers go far beyond expectations?

And 60% of sales through Seam shows that the decision to launch the game as a multiplatform made all the difference. Without the PC, perhaps the game wouldn't have gone so viral.

Skull and Bones in fourth place should set a very low value for those below him. I can't imagine this game selling 100,000 units.

I think it's just a matter of Rebirth having only 4 days accounted for, there's not much else to read into it.

 

[Wockio]

Does this imply huge drop for Switch?

 

[Kiria]

Could Rebirth in second mean low sales or did Helldivers go far beyond expectations?

And 60% of sales through Seam shows that the decision to launch the game as a multiplatform made all the difference. Without the PC, perhaps the game wouldn't have gone so viral.

Skull and Bones in fourth place should set a very low value for those below him. I can't imagine this game selling 100,000 units.

we all expected bat shit low for helldivers until it launched

i wonder how close are both if you add the twin pack rev to ff7r at 2nd place

 

[Remember_spinal]

That's not what I'm saying. These games (Helldivers,Palworld, higwarts) show a dynamic market.

The idea that if COD left PS that PS would suddenly die or be unable to find or create a replacement is what is laughable.

The idea that COD alone is sacred and needs to be open to all lest the market be doomed to monopoly is and remains a fiction

The biggest new multiplayer game released last month that over performed still got eclipsed by CoD and the other usual black hole live service games and in about 6 months there will be another Call of Duty game that will have similar sales again.

 

[derby_440]

February 2017 for comparision.

Hardware revenue $204m.
PS4: 398k
XOne: 215k
3DS: 125k

 

[BoktaiFan]

The biggest new multiplayer game released last month that over performed still got eclipsed by CoD and the other usual black hole live service games and in about 6 months there will be another Call of Duty game that will have similar sales again.

By users and it lumps in 3 cod games including the F2P one. And of course if COD was no longer on the platform do you think that playtime would disappear? No it would migrate to other games!

But I don't mean to make this thread ABK/MS version 2. Just pointing out how ridiculous the doomposting was even if cod did become an exclusive, which again is even more ridiculous given MS new multiplat pivot.

 

[awng782]

Does this imply huge drop for Switch?

It's still ahead of Xbox Series in units (but less in revenue) which declined 19% YoY, so maybe a 25% decline for Switch(?).

Total hardware revenue declined by 30% YoY so much of that was probably due to PS5 (both as a result from a drop in unit sales and a higher proportion of the cheaper Disc model sold).

 

[enpleinjour]

I have to say my favorite part of helldivers (and palworld honestly) success is that (in addition to MS multiplat shift) it makes the COD antitrust arguments looks so hilarious in retrospect.

Remember when PS said they would die if COD was taken away because nothing could possibly match it. And they got the FTC to parrot that!

That's not what I'm saying. These games (Helldivers,Palworld, higwarts) show a dynamic market.

The idea that if COD left PS that PS would suddenly die or be unable to find or create a replacement is what is laughable.

The idea that COD alone is sacred and needs to be open to all lest the market be doomed to monopoly is and remains a fiction

COD brings in revenue of ~$2B a year and has been doing to for 12 years+
HD2 is nowhere close to that marketpower atm, and neither is HD2 anything close to a replacement.

Xbox was surprisingly the 19% drop. This year is gonna look rough for HD Twins without serious price cuts and therefore profit losses.

FYI don't click through that account its NSFW

 

[Lelouch0612]

Xbox didn't collapse like in Europe at least, softer drop of the 3 is something, even it isn't good either.

 

[Aostia82]

wow what a decrese
I'd say "Nintendo Switch can't come soon enough for the industry", but probably it's better for it to wait until 2025 (for a possible global spending rebound)

 

[Avitsky]

Does this imply huge drop for Switch?

Mario kart 8 Deluxe is a measuring point to evaluate the performance of Nintendo Switch.

February 2020 - 7
February 2021 - 6
February 2022 - 11
February 2023 - 13
February 2024 - 20

Especially since this year is less notable in terms of big titles, the decline of Nintendo Switch is very real.

 

[Evilms]

If all consoles down at least 19% concerns the number of units sold

so the estimates are at best

PS5: 454k
NSW: 235k
X|S: 194k

 

[derby_440]

If all consoles down at least 19% concerns the number of units sold

so the estimates are at best

PS5: 454k
NSW: 235k
X|S: 194k

at least 19% down in dollars confirmed by Mat.

 

[Luminoth 4545]

So For Feb 2023 I have

PS5: 560K
NSW: 290K
XBX: 240K

Feb 2024

PS5: 375K (-33%)
NSW: 210K (-28%)
XBS: 195K (-19%)

So Xbox is down 19% which means PS5 has to be down the most % to bring overall hardware down 30% because it is the most expensive, Switch can't be down the most % because it's the cheapest and has to be above XBS in units. Of course unit sales could be higher if there were many discounts versus last February.

EDIT: PS5 likely around 10% cheaper ASP so units around 415K.

 

[GamingCJ]

IIRC the PS5 discounts only started in March. If February is already 2:1 between PS5:Xbox, March might end up being 3:1.