NBA 2K27 was the best-selling game in the United States in August, according to Circana's monthly report, and it is now the third-best-selling game of 2026 to date. GamesIndustry.biz reported that the basketball title, which entered early access on August 26, reached the top spot within four days of a tracking period that ran from August 2 to August 29.
GameSpot noted that the result continues a run that began in 2024, when the NBA 2K series ended a long streak of August wins held by EA's Madden NFL games. Madden NFL 27 finished second this year, and its Kickoff Bundle, which packages the standard editions of Madden NFL 27 and EA Sports College Football 27, placed fourth.
Circana's top 10 for August, ranked by physical and full-game digital dollar sales, was reported by GameSpot as follows:
- NBA 2K27 (new)
- Madden NFL 27 (new)
- Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (new)
- Madden NFL 27: Kickoff Bundle (new)
- Star Wars Zero Company (new)
- Halo: Campaign Evolved (previously 6)
- Elden Ring (previously 41)
- Big Walk (new)
- Mario Kart World (previously 19)
- Splatoon Raiders (previously 7)
Elden Ring's 34-place climb followed the release of its Nintendo Switch 2 version on August 28, GamesIndustry.biz reported. In the year-to-date ranking, GameSpot said NBA 2K27 moved into third behind Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light, pushing Crimson Desert down to fifth, while MLB The Show 26 stayed fourth. GamesIndustry.biz also noted the chart arrived in the same week it was reported that NBA 2K25 will be delisted from storefronts at the end of this month, with its servers going offline on December 31.
Spending and hardware
Total US consumer spending on video games fell 9% year on year to $4.3 billion, which GamesIndustry.biz attributed mainly to an 18% drop in mobile revenue. Content sales dropped 10% to $3.8 billion, down from $4.1 billion in August 2025. Console content spending fell 7%, while subscription spending grew 3% and PC spending rose 13%. GameSpot put year-to-date content spending at $32.2 billion, down 2%.
Hardware unit sales fell 15% to 559,000, the lowest August total since 2013, when 423,000 units were sold. According to Circana's Mat Piscatella, as cited by GameSpot, Xbox unit sales fell 31% to their lowest August since 2020, PlayStation sales fell 11% to their lowest August since 2013 and Nintendo sales declined 15% from August 2025. Hardware spending dropped 3% to $302 million, although PlayStation 5 dollar sales grew 17% while Xbox Series and Switch 2 spending each fell 13%. The average price of a new hardware unit reached an August record of $541, up from $476 a year earlier.
Spending on new physical software is up 5% for the year to date at $738 million, with Game-Key Card releases rising 631% and offsetting a 3% decline across other physical media. On mobile, Monopoly Go, Royal Match and Candy Crush Saga were the top three games for August, while Pokémon Go dropped four places to seventh after the end of its 10th-anniversary celebrations, which GamesIndustry.biz said generated an estimated $48.5 million according to AppMagic.
