Video game hardware sales were down 25% year over year at the end of 2024, according to business tracking company Circana. Overall video game content spending was up compared to the previous year, but hardware sales—along with nearly all other sales, except for accessories—were down in December. Only one game in December was on the best selling games list, and that was MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Ring
| December 2024 Sales dollars, million | December 2023 | December 2024 | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales (Total Market Management) | $8,282 | $7,543 | -9% |
| Video Game Content (Full Physical & Digital Game, DLC/MTX and subscription user charges across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $6,054 | $5,761 | -5% |
| Video game hardware | $1,555 | $1,112 | -29% |
| Video games accessories | $673 | $671 | 0% |
Most of the losses, both for December and for the year as a whole, appear to be due to a decline in token sales, which have been steadily declining throughout the year. Mat Piscatella, Circana's executive producer for games reports in the report, “PlayStation 5 hardware spending fell 18% compared to December 2023, with Xbox Series and Switch each declining 38%.” Annual spending on video game hardware ended 25% lower than 2023, at $4.9 billion. “
That said, spending on real game content for 2024 was up 2% YoY, and was “the 2nd highest total for video game content spending in US history, trailing just $52.0 billion in 2021,” said Piscatella. Spend on console content fell 11%, but growth in mobile, PC, cloud, VR and subscription content offset this. Piscatella also pitched in post on Bluesky“But (the decline) was expected with Switch having been in the market for so long and both PS5/XBS past their sales peaks.”
| Sales 2024 dollars, millions | 2023 Year | 2024 Year | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales (Total Market Management) | $59,294 | $58,659 | -1% |
| Video Game Content (Full Physical & Digital Game, DLC/MTX and subscription user charges across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $49,850 | $50,639 | 2% |
| Video game hardware | $6,453 | $4,854 | -25% |
| Video games accessories | $2,992 | $3,166 | 6% |
Accessories spending also saw 6% growth in 2024, despite the overall warm hardware market and flat sales in December itself. The PlayStation Portal was the best-selling accessory of the year, after launching in the US at the end of 2023. The Circana report also notes that the accessory is the PS5's DualSense controller in Midnight Black with the most units sold.
Circana December 2024: The 20 best-selling games in the US
| Rank | Finally Month Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 2 | 2 | Madden NFL 25 | Electronic art |
| 3 | 4 | EA 25 Sports College Football | Electronic art |
| 4 | 3 | EA Sports FC 25 | Electronic art |
| 5 | 6 | Super Mario Party Jamboree * | Nintendo |
| 6 | 8 | Sonic X Shadow Generation | Sega |
| 7 | 11 | The Hogwarts legacy | Warner Bros. Games |
| 8 | 13 | Astro bot | Sony (Corp) |
| 9 | 18 | Minecraft ^^ | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 10 | 9 | NBA 2k25* | Take-Two Interactive |
| 11 | 5 | Dragon Ball: Forced! Zero | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 12 | 29 | Elden Circle | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 13 | 14 | Game spider-man 2 marvel | Sony (Corp) |
| 14 | NEW | Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 15 | 37 | Helldivers II | Sony (Corp) |
| 16 | 38 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 17 | 7 | Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood* | Nintendo |
| 18 | 27 | God of War: Ragnarok | Sony (Corp) |
| 19 | 23 | The Legend of Zelda: Epitome of Wisdom* | Nintendo |
| 20 | 30 | Just Dance 2025 Edition | Ubisoft |
^^ Digital sales on Nintendo platforms are not included
As mentioned above, MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the only December release to make it onto Circana's monthly favorites charts. It is also the fourth best-selling game on Xbox platforms and the third most used game on those same platforms, according to sales and communications tracker Circana. Other December releases that missed Circana's reports include Marvel Rivals, Path of Exile 2 and Infinity Nikki, although the latter two appear in the reports for the most daily active users on Steam and consoles.
The rest of the best seller list for December shows several games that were initially ranked lower jumping into the top 20 – apparently due to holiday sales. God of War Ragnarok, for example, was offered as part of a holiday sale a few months after its launch on PC. Other titles such as Elden Ring and Helldivers 2 may have received a boost from The Game Awards and the release of new content, respectively.
Circana December 2024: 20 best selling games of 2024
| Rank | Finally Month Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | 2 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 2 | 1 | EA 25 Sports College Football | Electronic art |
| 3 | 3 | Helldivers II | Sony (Corp) |
| 4 | 4 | Dragon Ball: Spoiling! Zero | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 5 | 5 | NBA 2k25** | Take-Two Interactive |
| 6 | 7 | Madden NFL 25 | Electronic art |
| 7 | 6 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 8 | 8 | EA Sports FC 25 | Electronic art |
| 9 | 10 | Elden Circle | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 10 | 9 | EA Sports MVP Pack | Electronic art |
| 11 | 14 | The Hogwarts legacy | Warner Bros. Games |
| 12 | 11 | Dragon's Dogma II | Capcom United States |
| 13 | 12 | WWE 2K24** | Take-Two Interactive |
| 14 | 13 | MLB: The 24^ Show | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 15 | 15 | Grand Theft Auto V** | Take-Two Interactive |
| 16 | 19 | Minecraft ^^ | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 17 | 16 | Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth | Information about the company Square Enix Inc., Square Enix Inc. stock exchange. |
| 18 | 17 | Tekken 8 game | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 19 | 21 | Game spider-man 2 marvel | Sony (Corp) |
| 20 | 18 | NBA 2k24** | Take-Two Interactive |
** Oct-Dec digital sales not included
^^ Digital sales on Nintendo platforms are not included
The Call of Duty game has taken the top spot in the charts, which is not a big surprise. If anything, it's a return to form, as last year's Hogwarts Legacy was the first Call of Duty title to topple Circana's bestseller chart since 2008. CoD remains the best selling franchise in the US for the US. 16th consecutive year. The rest of the list features a bit of a replay from the November positions, with most of the same games remaining.
In addition to the year-end list, Circana also released separate charts for sales for each console (although Nintendo's entries on its own chart are mostly ranked by physical sales data, as the company provides digital sales data to Circana). Red Dead Redemption is on Xbox's chart, but not PlayStation's, and the latter counts several of its exclusive titles on its own list, with Helldivers II in third place. Nintendo's list includes a large number of new releases along with mainstays such as Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
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