Circana: ‘NBA 2K26,’ Mobile, Nintendo Switch 2 Drive August Video Game Sales Revenue Up 11% to $4.7 Billion
Erik Gruenwedel
October 9, 2025
The release of the new NBA 2K26 video game, an increase in mobile video game spending, and the continued rollout of the Nintendo Switch 2 helped drive up August video game spending 11% to $4.7 billion from $4.2 billion in the previous-year period, according to new data from Circana.
The Switch 2 has sold 2.4 million units in its first three months on the market, which is 5% ahead of the previous record setting pace of of the Sony PlayStation 4, which sold 2.2 million units during the first 90 days ending January 2014, according to games analyst Mat Piscatella.
Indeed, overall hardware sales (Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox) in August ballooned 32% to $312 million from $236 million in the previous-year period.
“Switch 2 unit sales are trending 77% ahead the time-aligned sales of the original Nintendo Switch,” Piscatella wrote in a post. “NBA 2K26 was the best-selling premium video game in August, instantly becoming the fifth best-selling game of 2025 year-to-date. It was the month’s best-seller on both PlayStation and Xbox.”
Meanwhile, year-to-date video game hardware spending has increased 20% versus a year ago, reaching $2.9 billion — due in large part to the Switch 2. Overall unit sales are up 6.5% year-on-year, with the average selling price increasing by 12.3%, to $453 per unit sold.
The month saw a 21% jump in console content spending, aided by the release month shift of NBA 2K26 to the August tracking period from September a year ago.
Perennial sales champ Madden NFL didn’t disappoint as the 2026 edition ranked No. 2 in the August best-sellers chart, quickly moving to No. 10 year-to-date. The title was also available as part of the EA Sports MVP Bundle (which ranked as the No. 8 seller in the month) and the EA Sports Kickoff Bundle, which ranked ninth, according to Circana.
“Madden NFL 26 was second best-game across PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo platforms, while placing No. 1 on the PC aggregated storefront chart,” Piscatella wrote.
Year-to-date spending on non-mobile video game subscription services is 19% higher than a year ago, at $3.6 billion.
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