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Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 has topped the sales list for March, according to industry-tracking firm Circana. While Helldivers continues to hold the top spot of the year so far, the action-RPG has pulled a high-spot on the YTD chart. Fellow March 22 releases Rise of the Ronin and Princess Peach: Showtime! have also made it into the top 10 of the month, along with new releases like MLB: The Show 24, WWE 2K24 and Unicorn Overlord.
“Projected U.S. total spending on video game hardware, content and accessories gained 4% in March 2024 when compared to a year ago, reaching $4.9 billion,” said Mat Piscatella, Circana’s executive producer for games reports. “Mobile content spending grew 15% compared to March 2023, which more
than offset a 32% drop in video game hardware spending.”
| March 2024 Dollar Sales, Millions | Mar 2023 |
Mar 2024 |
Change |
| Total Video Game Sales | $4,715 | $4,886 | 4% |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $3,919 | $4,253 | 9% |
| Video Game Hardware | $574 | $391 | -32% |
| Video Game Accessories | $222 | $242 | 9% |
According to Sensor Tower’s data, the mobile games that pulled in the most in consumer spending were Monopoly Go, Royal Match, Roblox and Candy Crush Saga. These have been the top four games since February. Piscatella added, “Mobile accounted for 89% of the total year-on-year growth in video game content spending during the month.”
The drop in hardware spending mirrors a huge spike in the same category last year. In February 2023, hardware sales went up by 68%, likely due to improved supply. GamesBeat spoke with Piscatella, who said that this is likely due to all three major consoles on the market being well into their lifespans: “Declines so far this year in hardware are a bit steeper than I’d forecast, but not shockingly so… Q1 historically isn’t a huge part of total annual hardware sales, so I’m not hitting any panic buttons yet. And we could still see discounting/bundling and even iterative releases that could all help boost demand.”
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Circana March 2024: Top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
| Rank | Last Month Rank |
Title | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Dragon’s Dogma II | Capcom USA |
| 2 | 1 | Helldivers II | Sony (Corp) |
| 3 | NEW | MLB: The Show 24^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 4 | 3 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 5 | NEW | Rise of the Ronin | Sony (Corp) |
| 6 | NEW | Princess Peach: Showtime!* | Nintendo |
| 7 | 2 | Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 8 | NEW | Unicorn Overlord | Sega |
| 9 | NEW | WWE 2K24* | Take-Two Interactive (Corp) |
| 10 | 10 | Hogwarts Legacy | Warner Bros. Games |
| 11 | 6 | Madden NFL 24 | Electronic Arts |
| 12 | 12 | EA Sports FC 24 | Electronic Arts |
| 13 | 16 | Minecraft | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 14 | 107 | Horizon II: Forbidden West | Sony (Corp) |
| 15 | 5 | Tekken 8 | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 16 | 19 | Rainbow Six: Siege [Tom Clancy’s] | Ubisoft |
| 17 | 14 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 18 | 17 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 19 | 13 | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Sony (Corp) |
| 20 | 18 | Mortal Kombat 1 | Warner Bros. Games |
^Digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox platforms not included
The one game on this list that has risen dramatically up the list from a low position is Horizon Forbidden West, from position 107 to 14. No doubt, the jump up the list is due to the game’s launch on PC, which drew more interest in the title. Rainbow Six: Siege continues to maintain a place on the list after its own recent rise up from the lower numbers.
Perhaps what’s more interesting than what is on the list is what is not. Ubisoft’s long-in-development Skull & Bones has plummeted from last month’s fourth place and vanished from the bestsellers list all together. This is by no means unusual, as last month’s Mario vs. Donkey Kong is also not on the list, but Skull & Bones is a live-service game — a genre that usually has staying power.
All three games from March 22 make the list
March 22 was a big day for gamers, in that three major titles launched at the same time: Dragon’s Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin and Princess Peach: Showtime! Despite releasing in such a crowded window, all three games managed to make it onto Circana’s best-selling games list for the month. Granted, only Dragon’s Dogma 2 was able to unseat Helldivers 2 from the top spot, but that still an impressive accomplishment. It could be due to the fact that all three are for different markets and offer very different experiences.
Other new March games that made the list include the latest WWE 2K and MLB: The Show, which are perennial favorites on the Circana charts. Unicorn Overlord, Sega’s new tactical RPG, is also a surprise dark horse entry. March games that are sadly absent include the Alone in the Dark remake, Outcast: A New Beginning or South Park: Snow Day.
Circana March 2024: 20 best-selling games of 2022 so far
| Rank | Last Month Rank |
Title | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Helldivers 2 | Sony (Corp) |
| 2 | 2 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 3 | NEW | Dragon’s Dogma II | Capcom USA |
| 4 | 4 | Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
| 5 | NEW | MLB: The Show 24^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 6 | 3 | Tekken 8 | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 7 | 5 | Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | Warner Bros. Games |
| 8 | 6 | Madden NFL 24 | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 7 | Persona 3 Reload | Sega |
| 10 | 8 | Hogwarts Legacy | Warner Bros. Games |
| 11 | 10 | EA Sports FC 24 | Electronic Arts |
| 12 | 9 | Skull and Bones | Ubisoft |
| 13 | 11 | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Sony (Corp) |
| 14 | NEW | Rise of the Ronin | Sony (Corp) |
| 15 | 14 | Super Mario Bros. Wonder* | Nintendo |
| 16 | 15 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 17 | 18 | Minecraft | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 18 | 12 | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Sega |
| 19 | 13 | The Last of Us: Part II | Sony (Corp) |
| 20 | 19 | Mortal Kombat 1 | Warner Bros. Games |
^Digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox platforms not included
Helldivers 2 continues to maintain the top spot on this list, followed by Modern Warfare 3. According to Piscatella, Helldivers 2 is 7th in lifetime sales for Sony-published games. However, Dragon’s Dogma 2 debuts at a very impressive 3rd place on the year-to-date list. Circana notes that sales of the sequel are over eleven times that of the original Dragon’s Dogma. Rise of the Ronin has also made it onto the list, albeit on a lower rank on the list. Funnily enough, all of the games already on the list shifted ranks down, except for Minecraft, which rose up the ranks slightly.
