Xbox scores multiple top 10 hits while game subscription spending surges in July — but Nintendo still dominates hardware sales

The latest video game industry sales figures for the U.S. are in, with Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella sharing the details for July 2025 via Bluesky, including the news that video game subscription spending is still up.

Per Piscatella, non-mobile video game subscription spending (which includes services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus) was up 21% year-over-year, a not-insignificant increase.

Electronic Arts' College Football 26 was the best-selling game of the month, dethroning Elden Ring Nightreign, which had stayed on top as the best-seller for June and May. The bundle, including College Football and Madden NFL 26 (which launched earlier in August, and so is not included in this month), took the #2 spot.

Nintendo's Donkey Kong Bananza placed third, an impressive feat considering Nintendo doesn't report digital sales. Xbox had two debuts this month, with Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 and Obsidian Entertainment's Grounded 2 placing at #4 and #8, respectively.

Hardware spending was up 21% year-over-year for the month, driven heavily by the Nintendo Switch 2, which has now sold over 2 million units in the U.S and was the best-selling console of the month. Sales of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S were down 47% and 69% year-over-year, respectively.

Overall, video game spending reached $5.1 billion for the month, up 5% year-over-year.

Below, you'll see the best-selling games of June 2025 and the year so far. As always, Circana tracks game sales through dollar amounts, not copies sold. Some publishers, now including Ubisoft, also do not share digital data, hence the disappearance of Assassin's Creed Shadows from the charts.

July 2025 Circana sales charts: Here are the top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.

1. EA Sports College Football 26
2. EA Sports MVP Bundle (2025)
3. Donkey Kong Bananza*
4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
6. Minecraft****
7. Forza Horizon 5
8. Grounded 2
9. Red Dead Redemption 2
10. Grand Theft Auto 5
11. MLB The Show 25**
12. Death Stranding 2
13. WWE 2K25
14. Elden Ring
15. NBA 2K25
16. Elden Ring Nightreign
17. Split Fiction
18. EA Sports FC 25
19. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
20. F1 25

July 2025 Circana sales charts: Here are the best-selling games of the year in the U.S.

1. Monster Hunter Wilds
2. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
3. EA Sports College Football 26
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
5. MLB The Show 25**
6. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
7. WWE 2K25
8. Elden Ring: Nightreign
9. Split Fiction
10. NBA 2K25
11. Forza Horizon 5
12. EA Sports MVP Bundle (2025)
13. Minecraft
14. Sid Meier's Civilization VII
15. Grand Theft Auto 5
16. PGA Tour 2K25
17. DOOM: The Dark Ages
18. EA Sports FC 25
19. Red Dead Redemption 2
20. Donkey Kong Bananza*

*Denotes no digital sales data
**Denotes no digital sales data on Xbox or Nintendo Switch
****Denotes no digital sales data on Nintendo Switch

Software is solid, but non-Nintendo consoles are having a rough time

Setting the obvious excitement around the Nintendo Switch 2 aside, there's no denying that consoles are having a rough period right now.

I'm not expecting to see that shift much, with Call of Duty still launching on last-generation systems this fall and Grand Theft Auto 6 delayed to May 2026.

Still, there is plenty of variety in video game software sales to be happy about. I'm particularly glad to see Grounded 2 launching in the top 20 this month, especially since the lower price point would make it harder for the game to rank above other, more expensive titles.

Looking into August, I'm mainly curious about how various titles from July will hold, as well as what kind of boost Helldivers 2 will see from launching on Xbox Series X|S.