Madden NFL 23 and Saints Row were the top two best-selling games in the US for August. Both debuted last month, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The third best-selling game, however, is one that he doesn’t anticipate anytime soon, given he’s four years out. That’s Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Spider-Man did very well in August as it finally released on PC via Steam on the 12th. Considering this is a remastered version that includes all previous DLCs and is the first time it’s been released outside of Sony hardware, this could prove to be an attractive pickup for many. Proven (and the continued release of more Steam decks probably didn’t hurt… either). He pushed Spider-Man from No. 84 on his NPD charts in July to No. 3 in August, surpassing both Elden Ring and MultiVersus.
According to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, Spider-Man was also the month’s best-selling game across all tracked Steam titles, and was also the primary reason for year-over-year growth in the PC content segment across the market. This could also be for gamers who expect Sony to bring more limited editions to PC at some point in the future.
“Sony’s PC port is performing strongly,” says Piscatella. “If you look at recent history, ‘God of War’ skyrocketed from No. 146 on the charts in December 2021 to No. 5 upon PC launch in January 2022, but ‘Days Gone’ is also doing well. It skyrocketed on the PC version’s release, climbing to number 20 on the charts in May 2021 after being ranked number 247 in April 2021. It’s also been a great platform for Sony in terms of how the release has had a positive halo effect on related properties.
And in software, Madden 23’s No.1 spot was the 23rd year in a row that Madden games were the top performers in their release month. Another new title, Soul Hackers 2, debuted at number 10 on the PlayStation rankings and number 15 overall. Horizon II: Forbidden West also ranked 12th thanks to sales. His fourth best-selling game so far in 2022, with Pokemon Legends: Arceus at No. 3, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga at No. 2, and (yes, you guessed it) No. 1 Elden Ring.
On the hardware side, the PS5 was the best-selling console in both units and dollar sales in August, making it the top-selling console in terms of dollar sales for the year so far. The Switch still leads the way in sales this year, but with hardware availability soaring, the PS5 may have a chance to catch it before the end of the year.
Overall gaming spending fell 5% year-over-year to $4.1 billion, slightly higher than the total of $4.07 in August 2020, as consumer spending on gaming hits the peak of lockdown. It shows that you are returning to the overall level.
Below are the top 20 best-selling games by sales in the US in August.
- Madden NFL 23
- Saints Row (2022)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- elden ring
- Multiversus
- mario kart 8
- Mine Craft
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- MLB: Show 22
- Xenoblade 3
- Digimon Survive
- Horizon 2: Forbidden West
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- far cry 6
- soul hackers 2
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Gran Turismo 7
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus
(Not included in any of the above, as Nintendo does not report digital Switch sales).
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. you can find her on her twitter @duck valentine.
