Gaming hardware sales are down, and consumer spending is still trending slightly down in October. The PlayStation 5 is also selling well, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. Several games launched in October have also made the best-sellers list, though none have done as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

October 2022 Dollar Sales, MillionsOctober
2021
October
2022
Change
Total Video Game Sales$4,271$4,2710%
Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)$43,642$43,7002%
Video Game Hardware$468$424-10%
Video Game Accessories$161$148-8%
*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower

“U.S. consumer spending on video game content, hardware and accessories totaled $4.3 billion during October 2022, flat when compared to a year ago,” said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. “Growth in digital sales and subscriptions for console and PC video game content, driven in large part by the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, was offset by declines in mobile content and video game hardware sales.”

It’s not exactly a surprise that a Call of Duty title sold so well. It’s more of a surprise that mobile and hardware sales are starting to decline. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles both appear to be selling well, but the aging Switch could explain the dip. Further, according to Sensor Tower’s provided data, mobile spending in the US will “see a decline for the first time ever” as it competes with non-mobile releases for attention.

Year-to-Date 2022 Dollar Sales, MillionsYTD 2021YTD 2022Change
Total Video Game Sales$46,081$42,687-7%
Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)$40,253$37,186-8%
Video Game Hardware$3,876$3,782-2%
Video Game Accessories$1,951$1,719-12%
*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower

Piscatella said, “Year-to-date spending has fallen 7% compared to this point in 2021, at $42.7 billion.”

Event

GamesBeat Next 2023

Join the GamesBeat community in San Francisco this October 24-25. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry on latest developments and their take on the future of gaming.


Learn More

October 2022 NPD: Top 20 best-selling games of the month in the U.S.

NPD tracks physical sales at retailers, but it also gets digital data directly from publishers. Not every company participates. For example, Nintendo doesn’t share its first-party sales and Activision Blizzard does not provide its Battle.net sales.

These charts are sorted by dollar sales — not number of units sold. And this is for full-game sales and does not include in-game spending.

RankLast
Month
Rank
All PlatformsPublisher
1NEWCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)Activision Blizzard (Corp)
2NEWGotham KnightsWarner Bros. Interactive
31FIFA 23Electronic Arts
42Madden NFL 23Electronic Arts
5NEWNHL 23Electronic Arts
6NEWMario + Rabbids: Sparks of HopeUbisoft
7291Persona 5Atlus
83NBA 2K23*Take-Two Interactive
9NEWBayonetta 3*Nintendo
109Elden RingBandai Namco Entertainment
1110Mario Kart 8*Nintendo
124Splatoon 3*Nintendo
1311MinecraftMultiple Video Game Manufacturers
14NEWStar Ocean: The Divine ForceSquare Enix Inc (Corp)
1554GroundedMicrosoft (Corp)
16NEWDragon Ball: The BreakersBandai Namco Entertainment
17NEWPGA Tour 2K23*Take-Two Interactive
1823Nintendo Switch Sports*Nintendo
19217NieR: AutomataSquare Enix Inc (Corp)
2014Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*Nintendo
*Digital sales not included

Several of the games on the list were new releases in October — more so than in previous months. We have seen enough games this month to make up for the relatively slow months earlier in the fall and late summer.

In addition to the new games, at least two games jumped up around 200 spots on the list. Persona 5 has made one of the year’s biggest comebacks, likely prompted by the release of the Royal edition on next-gen consoles, Switch and PC. NieR: Automata also got a bump in numbers thanks to its release on Switch.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Bayonetta 3

The new Call of Duty game doing well on the charts is not exactly a surprise, but the success is still worth noting. According to Activision Blizzard’s numbers, the game has sold $1 billion in sell-through within 10 days of its launch. The game also launched on October 28, meaning it managed to top the month’s list with only hours left.

Bayonetta 3, which also launched the same day as Modern Warfare 2 and likewise made the list despite its late debut. It was also working with the handicap that it’s exclusive to the Switch and that the NPD’s data set doesn’t include the platform’s digital sales.

Gotham Knights and other new releases

Gotham Knights also debuted high on the charts — not high enough to unseat Modern Warfare 2, but quite well all the same. While our review of the game was less-than-favorable, it appears the game did well with fans, likely because of its high-profile IP. It’s also the only other game this month other than Modern Warfare 2 to make the best-selling list of 2022 so far (see below). The same list also demonstrates how much more Call of Duty sold, as Modern Warfare 2 debuted at 2nd place, and Gotham Knights at 14th.

Other new releases to make the charts include Japanese RPG Star Ocean: The Divine Force and Mario title Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. Sports titles continue to sell well, with new additions including NHL 23 and PGA Tour 2K23.

October 2022 NPD: 20 best-selling games of 2022 so far

RankLast
Month
Rank
All PlatformsPublisher
11Elden RingBandai Namco Entertainment
2NEWCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)Activision Blizzard (Corp)
32LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker SagaWarner Bros. Interactive
43Madden NFL 23Electronic Arts
54Pokémon Legends: Arceus*Nintendo
65Horizon II: Forbidden WestSony (Corp)
76MLB: The Show 22^Multiple Video Game Manufacturers
811FIFA 23Electronic Arts
97Call of Duty: VanguardActivision Blizzard (Corp)
108Gran Turismo 7Sony (Corp)
1110Mario Kart 8*Nintendo
129Kirby and the Forgotten Land*Nintendo
1312MinecraftMultiple Video Game Manufacturers
14NEWGotham KnightsWarner Bros. Interactive
1513Nintendo Switch Sports*Nintendo
1615Saints Row (2022)Plaion
1714Madden NFL 22Electronic Arts
1817Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*Nintendo
1916FIFA 22Electronic Arts
2018Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles MoralesSony (Corp)
*Digital sales not included
^Xbox & Switch digital sales not included

October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling games of the last 12 months

RankLast
Month
Rank
All PlatformsPublisher
11Elden RingBandai Namco Entertainment
22Call of Duty: VanguardActivision Blizzard (Corp)
3NEWCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)Activision Blizzard (Corp)
43LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker SagaWarner Bros. Interactive
54Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*Nintendo
66Madden NFL 23Electronic Arts
75Battlefield 2042Electronic Arts
89Pokémon Legends: Arceus*Nintendo
910Horizon II: Forbidden WestSony (Corp)
108Madden NFL 22Electronic Arts
*Digital sales not included

October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling Nintendo-platform games in the U.S.

RankLast
Month
Rank
Nintendo PlatformsPublisher
1NEWMario + Rabbids: Sparks of HopeUbisoft
2NEWBayonetta 3*Nintendo
3NEWPersona 5Atlus
43Mario Kart 8*Nintendo
51Splatoon 3*Nintendo
67Nintendo Switch Sports*Nintendo
74Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*Nintendo
8NEWNieR: AutomataSquare Enix (Corp)
917Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*Nintendo
108Pokémon Legends: Arceus*Nintendo
*Digital sales not included

October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling PlayStation-platform games in the U.S.

RankLast
Month
Rank
PlayStation PlatformsPublisher
1NEWCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)Activision Blizzard (Corp)
2NEWGotham KnightsWarner Bros. Interactive
31FIFA 23Electronic Arts
42Madden NFL 23Electronic Arts
5NEWNHL 23Electronic Arts
63NBA 2K23*Take-Two Interactive
7NEWStar Ocean: The Divine ForceSquare Enix (Corp)
8NEWPGA Tour 2K23*Take-Two Interactive
94The Last of Us: Part 1Sony (Corp)
107Elden RingBandai Namco Entertainment
*Digital sales not included

October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling Xbox-platform games in the U.S.

RankLast
Month
Rank
Xbox PlatformsPublisher
1NEWCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)Activision Blizzard (Corp)
2NEWGotham KnightsWarner Bros. Interactive
31Madden NFL 23Electronic Arts
42FIFA 23Electronic Arts
5NEWNHL 23Electronic Arts
63NBA 2K23*Take-Two Interactive
78Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold WarActivision Blizzard (Corp)
85Elden RingBandai Namco Entertainment
911Forza Horizon 5Microsoft (Corp)
104Saints Row (2022)Plaion
*Digital sales not included

GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.