US Video Game Spending Rises 3% to $4.3 Billion in January as PS5 Leads and Subscriptions Surge

Overview

• Circana reported $4.3 billion in US video game spending for January 2026, up 3% year over year, with non-mobile subscriptions generating $596 million, a 23% gain.
• Hardware revenue reached $248 million, up 16% year over year, as Switch 2 sales offset declines across other console families.
• PlayStation 5 led US hardware in units and dollars, though year-over-year sales fell 17% compared to drops of 27% for Xbox Series X|S and 79% for the original Switch.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was January’s top-selling game, with NBA 2K26 in second, while Bandai Namco’s Code Vein 2 debuted at No. 11 as the sole new Top 20 entry.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake jumped to No. 9 after releasing on Switch 2 and Xbox, Fallout 4 re-entered at No. 20 following renewed TV interest, and mobile spending dipped with uneven results such as a 49% revenue drop for Clash Royale and a 79% in-app purchase rise for Pixel Flow.