Latest NPD numbers show video games continue to flourish

The NPD Group have released details for how video game sales were for the month of May, and we see another banner month for the industry as a whole.

Now, there is something we need to be clear on: part of the reason video games are selling so well currently is that a whole lot of us are stuck at home and in need of new entertainment to help pass the time. Still, for that reason and more, NPD’s Mat Piscatella reports that sales across hardware, software, accessories, and game cards totaled $977 million for the month of May, which was 52 percent higher than May of last year. In fact, Piscatella points out that that’s the “highest tracked spend for a May month since the $1.2 billion achieved in May 2008.”

From there, we get a look at the top-selling games for May, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare topping the list, followed by Grand Theft Auto V. You know, GTA V, that game that came out in September of 2013. If you wondered why Sony kicked off its big PlayStation 5 event yesterday with a game that’s nearly seven years old, that’s why. (And, interesting note: GTA V will end up being one of only a small handful of games to continually have been active across three generations of consoles.)

Piscatella then gives a breakdown of the top-selling games for the year, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Grand Theft Auto V, and NBA 2K20 taking the top five spots in that order.

Finally, the remaining piece of data that will be interesting to most gamers out there are the individual lists for each of the three main consoles. How did your favorites do specifically on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and/or Nintendo Switch? Here’s the breakdowns.

Source: The NPD Group