Physical Video Game Dollar Sales Plunged to an All-Time July Low of Just $85 Million in the US

New information shows that carnal bundle dollar income plunged to an all-time July debased of $85 cardinal successful the US — that’s the worst full since tracking began successful 1995.

Circana’s July video games study reveals that for the 2026 year-to-date period, income of carnal bundle for PlayStation hardware accounted for 32% of full U.S. user spending connected caller carnal games. Games made for Nintendo platforms made up 63% of year-to-date spending connected caller carnal software. Xbox wasn’t mentioned.

The information comes blistery connected the heels of Sony’s daze announcement that it volition extremity the accumulation of carnal discs for PlayStation games from 2028. The announcement has sparked a important backlash online, with immoderate insisting that Sony should proceed to people games connected disc contempt existent trends.

When Sony announced its determination it said it was simply pursuing user trends. “In effect to shifting trends successful user preference, caller games volition beryllium released connected PlayStation Store and astatine retailers successful integer formats only,” Sid Shuman, Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, said successful a station connected PlayStation Blog.

Similarly, Strauss Zelnick, brag of Rockstar genitor institution Take-Two, precocious defended the company’s determination not to merchandise GTA 6 connected a carnal disc, insisting erstwhile it comes to large games, discs “don’t truly marque consciousness for the consumer.”

However, gamers person called connected Sony to U-turn connected its decision, signing online petitions and swarming implicit PlayStation societal media posts to explicit interest astir video crippled preservation and ownership. Complaints person besides travel from different groups. The UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), for example, called Sony’s determination “a triumph of firm convenience implicit user choice.”

Last month, Sony yet broke its soundlessness connected its determination to discontinue PlayStation discs to accidental it is not having immoderate effect connected its concern now, and it doesn’t spot immoderate antagonistic effect successful the future. Sony executives insisted they volition not alteration their minds, portion acknowledging “strong views” from the video crippled community.

Today’s information shows that PlayStation makes up a important information of carnal crippled income successful the U.S., but it’s worthy noting that we bash not person existent income oregon gross figures for 2026 truthful acold to springiness america the bigger picture.

Sony's latest financials amusement an 82% integer download ratio for afloat crippled bundle crossed PS4 and PS5. Reinforcing this trend, Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor astatine Circana, precocious said that conscionable 7 PlayStation video games had sold much than 100,000 carnal units truthful acold this twelvemonth successful the U.S.. Only 2 PlayStation video games sold much than 10,000 carnal units successful the U.S. during the week ending July 11.

July was a peculiarly atrocious period for video crippled and hardware income successful the U.S., Circana’s information reveals. Total U.S. video crippled spending dropped 10% year-on-year, with hardware spending plummeting 29% disconnected the backmost of a pugnacious examination with the motorboat of Nintendo Switch 2 arsenic good arsenic terms rises for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Piscatella said hardware spending fell to a debased ($282 million) not seen since July 2020 ($163 million), erstwhile pandemic-fueled sellouts and logistics challenges made uncovering caller video crippled hardware to bargain highly difficult. Subscription spending was the lone class showing maturation successful July versus a twelvemonth agone (+6%).

“The marketplace comparables proceed to beryllium impacted by the record-setting June 2025 motorboat of Nintendo Switch 2,” Piscatella said. “However, the challenges widen acold beyond elemental cyclicality. Higher hardware prices driven by the RAM and constituent situation person importantly impacted the selling rates of some PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, with a terms hike for Nintendo Switch 2 hardware coming connected September 1, 2026.”

Total hardware portion income fell 39% versus July 2025, portion the mean selling terms of a caller portion of video crippled hardware jumped by 16%, to $542. Unit income were down connected each console platforms erstwhile compared to a twelvemonth ago. PlayStation 5 portion income fell 6% versus July 2025, portion Xbox Series dropped 18% and Switch 2 declined by 51%. With 14 months successful market, Nintendo Switch 2 is 11% up of the time-aligned income gait of the archetypal Nintendo Switch. How this lasts remains to beryllium seen.

In a mediocre period each round, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was projected arsenic the best-selling crippled of July successful dollar sales, driven by the merchandise of a PlayStation larboard supporting PS4 and PS5. Call of Duty: Black Ops besides received a PS4/PS5 larboard successful the period and ranked 5th overall. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Black Flag: Resynced was third, Halo: Campaign Evolved sixth, and Splatoon Raiders seventh.

Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].