Game-Key Cards Drive 5 Percent Rise in U.S. Physical Game Spending
Circana reports U.S. spending on new physical games is up 5 percent in 2026, as game-key card spending jumped 631 percent, offsetting a 3 percent drop elsewhere.
U.S. consumer spending on new physical video games has risen 5 percent year-over-year so far in 2026, according to Circana, driven largely by a 631-percent increase in spending on game-key cards. That jump offset a 3-percent decline in spending on other physical software.
Mat Piscatella said 10 titles were published as game-key cards last year, and 54 more game-key card titles have been published this year.
In August, NBA 2K27 was the best-selling game, followed by Madden NFL 27, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, the Madden Kickoff Bundle and Star Wars: Zero Company. NBA 2K27 is now the third best-selling game of the year so far.
Overall U.S. content spending for August fell 10 percent, with console and mobile content spending down and PC and subscription spending up. Total August spending was down 9 percent year-over-year to $4.3 billion.
Hardware and accessories
Accessories spending rose 3 percent, while total hardware spending fell 3 percent in August. PS5 dollar sales rose 17 percent, while Xbox and Switch 2 spending each dropped 13 percent. Unit hardware sales fell 15 percent year-over-year, the lowest August total since 2013, with PlayStation down 11 percent, Xbox down 31 percent and Nintendo down 15 percent. The average price for a new hardware unit was $541.
Elden Ring rose from 41st in July to 7th in August following its Switch 2 release. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ranked 11th in August, up from 31st, and Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece jumped from 159th to 26th. Big Walk entered the August top 10.
Quick answers
What drove the rise in U.S. physical game spending in 2026?
Game-key card spending rose 631 percent, offsetting a 3-percent drop in other physical software spending, according to Circana.
What was the best-selling game of August?
NBA 2K27 was the best-selling game of August, followed by Madden NFL 27, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, the Madden Kickoff Bundle and Star Wars: Zero Company.
How much did total August spending fall?
Total August spending was down 9 percent year-over-year to $4.3 billion, while overall U.S. content spending for the month fell 10 percent.