Video Game Hardware And Physical Software Sales This Year Had The Worst November Since 1995 In The US - Game Informer

Video Game Hardware And Physical Software Sales This Year Had The Worst November Since 1995 In The US - Game Informer
December 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM

US Video Game Market Suffers Worst November Since 1995

The U.S. video game market posted its weakest November since tracking began in 1995, according to Circana’s latest report shared by senior director Mat Piscatella. Despite Black Friday, hardware units and physical software sales both slumped to multi-decade lows.

Key takeaways

  • Hardware units: 1.6 million sold across all platforms in November 2025 — the lowest November since 1995 (1.4 million).
  • Hardware spending: Down 27% year over year to $695 million, the lowest November total since 2005’s $455 million.
  • Physical software spending: Down 14% year over year, the lowest November on record since tracking began in 1995.
  • Total content spending: Up 1% to $4.8 billion, driven by a 16% rise in subscriptions and 2% growth in mobile, offsetting declines on console and PC.
  • Accessories: Down 13% to $327 million; controller spending fell 19% year over year.

Platform leaders

  • PlayStation 5 was November’s best-selling hardware by both units and dollars — its first sweep since Nintendo Switch 2 launched in June.
  • Nintendo Switch 2 ranked second in both measures.

Games and engagement

  • Best-seller: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 led November sales, marking the franchise’s 18th straight year topping its release month (streak began with November 2008’s World at War). However, the series saw a double-digit percentage decline in full-game dollar sales versus November 2024.
  • Most-played: Fortnite topped monthly active users on PlayStation and Xbox; Arc Raiders led on PC via Steam.

Accessories highlights

  • Best-selling accessory by dollars: PlayStation Portal (Midnight Black).
  • Best-selling accessory by units: PlayStation 5 DualSense controller (Midnight Black).

Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games — November 2025 (U.S.)

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
  2. Battlefield 6
  3. NBA 2K26
  4. Madden NFL 26
  5. EA Sports FC 26
  6. Pokémon Legends: Z-A
  7. Ghost of Yōtei
  8. EA Sports College Football 26
  9. Minecraft
  10. Kirby Air Riders
  11. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
  12. The Outer Worlds 2
  13. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
  14. Donkey Kong Bananza
  15. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
  16. Red Dead Redemption II
  17. Grand Theft Auto V
  18. Borderlands 4
  19. Forza Horizon 5
  20. Digimon Story: Time Stranger

Methodology notes: Rankings reflect U.S. dollar sales, include physical and digital from participating publishers, and exclude add-on content like DLC and expansions.

Source: https://gameinformer.com/2025/12/17/video-game-hardware-and-physical-software-sales-this-year-had-the-worst-november-since

Back…