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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, Millions | October 2021 | October 2022 | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales | $4,271 | $4,271 | 0% |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $43,642 | $43,700 | 2% |
| Video Game Hardware | $468 | $424 | -10% |
| Video Game Accessories | $161 | $148 | -8% |
“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, Millions | YTD 2021 | YTD 2022 | Change |
| 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% |
Piscatella said, “Year-to-date spending has fallen 7% compared to this point in 2021, at $42.7 billion.”
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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.
| Rank | Last Month Rank | All Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 2 | NEW | Gotham Knights | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 3 | 1 | FIFA 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | 2 | Madden NFL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | NEW | NHL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | NEW | Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope | Ubisoft |
| 7 | 291 | Persona 5 | Atlus |
| 8 | 3 | NBA 2K23* | Take-Two Interactive |
| 9 | NEW | Bayonetta 3* | Nintendo |
| 10 | 9 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 11 | 10 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 12 | 4 | Splatoon 3* | Nintendo |
| 13 | 11 | Minecraft | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 14 | NEW | Star Ocean: The Divine Force | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 15 | 54 | Grounded | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 16 | NEW | Dragon Ball: The Breakers | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 17 | NEW | PGA Tour 2K23* | Take-Two Interactive |
| 18 | 23 | Nintendo Switch Sports* | Nintendo |
| 19 | 217 | NieR: Automata | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 20 | 14 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
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
| Rank | Last Month Rank | All Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2 | NEW | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 3 | 2 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 4 | 3 | Madden NFL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | 4 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
| 6 | 5 | Horizon II: Forbidden West | Sony (Corp) |
| 7 | 6 | MLB: The Show 22^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 8 | 11 | FIFA 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 7 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 10 | 8 | Gran Turismo 7 | Sony (Corp) |
| 11 | 10 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 12 | 9 | Kirby and the Forgotten Land* | Nintendo |
| 13 | 12 | Minecraft | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 14 | NEW | Gotham Knights | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 15 | 13 | Nintendo Switch Sports* | Nintendo |
| 16 | 15 | Saints Row (2022) | Plaion |
| 17 | 14 | Madden NFL 22 | Electronic Arts |
| 18 | 17 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 19 | 16 | FIFA 22 | Electronic Arts |
| 20 | 18 | Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Sony (Corp) |
^Xbox & Switch digital sales not included
October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling games of the last 12 months
| Rank | Last Month Rank | All Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2 | 2 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 3 | NEW | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 4 | 3 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 5 | 4 | Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl* | Nintendo |
| 6 | 6 | Madden NFL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 7 | 5 | Battlefield 2042 | Electronic Arts |
| 8 | 9 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
| 9 | 10 | Horizon II: Forbidden West | Sony (Corp) |
| 10 | 8 | Madden NFL 22 | Electronic Arts |
October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling Nintendo-platform games in the U.S.
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Nintendo Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope | Ubisoft |
| 2 | NEW | Bayonetta 3* | Nintendo |
| 3 | NEW | Persona 5 | Atlus |
| 4 | 3 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 5 | 1 | Splatoon 3* | Nintendo |
| 6 | 7 | Nintendo Switch Sports* | Nintendo |
| 7 | 4 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 8 | NEW | NieR: Automata | Square Enix (Corp) |
| 9 | 17 | Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl* | Nintendo |
| 10 | 8 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling PlayStation-platform games in the U.S.
| Rank | Last Month Rank | PlayStation Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 2 | NEW | Gotham Knights | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 3 | 1 | FIFA 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | 2 | Madden NFL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | NEW | NHL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | 3 | NBA 2K23* | Take-Two Interactive |
| 7 | NEW | Star Ocean: The Divine Force | Square Enix (Corp) |
| 8 | NEW | PGA Tour 2K23* | Take-Two Interactive |
| 9 | 4 | The Last of Us: Part 1 | Sony (Corp) |
| 10 | 7 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
October 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling Xbox-platform games in the U.S.
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Xbox Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 2 | NEW | Gotham Knights | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 3 | 1 | Madden NFL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | 2 | FIFA 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | NEW | NHL 23 | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | 3 | NBA 2K23* | Take-Two Interactive |
| 7 | 8 | Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 8 | 5 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 9 | 11 | Forza Horizon 5 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 10 | 4 | Saints Row (2022) | Plaion |
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