The United States gaming market continued to face economic headwinds in April 2025, marking another month of year-over-year decline across key segments. According to data from Circana, total industry spending fell by 3% compared to April 2024, with notable drops in hardware and accessory sales. Despite the overall downturn, certain titles and platforms demonstrated strong performance, most notably The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which led monthly game sales and significantly outperformed the original release. While the broader market shows signs of contraction, specific areas such as digital console content and subscription-based services continue to register growth, offering a more nuanced view of the industry’s current state.

State of USA Gaming Market in April 2025

US Gaming Market April 2025

The United States gaming market extended its downward trend in April 2025, reporting a total monthly spend of $4.1 billion, which marked a 3% year-over-year decline. Content sales, which form the bulk of the industry’s revenue, decreased by 2% from the same period last year, totaling $3.7 billion. Notable growth segments within content sales included non-mobile subscriptions, which increased by 18%, and digital game sales on consoles, which rose by 16%.

Despite these areas of growth, the overall market was unable to offset broader declines. Gaming hardware sales declined significantly, falling 8% year-over-year to $186 million. This represented the lowest recorded spending in this category since July 2020. The PlayStation 5 experienced a 5% drop in dollar sales but retained its lead in both units sold and revenue. In contrast, the Nintendo Switch saw a sharp 37% decline in sales.

Meanwhile, Xbox Series S|X posted modest growth of 8%, reflecting more positive momentum compared to its competitors. Accessory spending also dropped, falling 2% year-over-year to reach $166 million. The DualSense Midnight Black controller remained the top-selling accessory during the month. Across the first four months of 2025, total industry revenue amounted to $17.8 billion, an 8% decrease compared to the same period in 2024.

State of USA Gaming Market in April 2025

Game Sales, Mobile and Consumer Behavior

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered emerged as the best-selling title in April, outperforming other new and legacy releases. Its performance far exceeded that of the original 2006 release, selling more units in one month than the original managed over its first 15 months. It also generated more revenue in less than 30 days than its predecessor did in its first 14 months. Oblivion Remastered immediately became the third-best-selling game of 2025 to date.

Forza Horizon 5 ranked as the second-best-selling title for April, boosted by its launch on PlayStation 5. MLB: The Show 25 followed in third position, although digital sales for the Nintendo and Xbox platforms were not included in the reported figures. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle showed a significant gain, jumping from 118th to 6th place following its release on PlayStation 5. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did not enter the top 20 overall rankings due to the publisher not supplying digital sales data. However, its physical release ranked it 22nd on the PlayStation platform.

The mobile gaming segment saw a slight decrease in revenue during April, following a minor dip in March. Nevertheless, leading titles such as MONOPOLY GO!, Royal Match, and Candy Crush Saga maintained their positions as top revenue generators. Among mobile games, Gossip Harbor: Merge & Story experienced the fastest revenue growth, with a 9.8% increase from the previous month.

State of USA Gaming Market in April 2025

Platform-Specific Performance and Rankings

Microsoft maintained a strong presence across platforms, with four of the five best-selling games in April being published by the company. On PlayStation, Microsoft-published games occupied five of the top ten sales positions, a trend that benefits both Microsoft and Sony through increased market exposure and platform revenues.

Call of Duty HQ led in monthly active users on both PlayStation and Xbox. RoboCop: Rogue City and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre also recorded notable MAU increases, attributed to their inclusion in the PS Plus subscription service. On Xbox, The Elder Scrolls: Online climbed to the second-highest sales rank, while Minecraft secured third. Oblivion Remastered entered the Xbox MAU rankings immediately following its day-one availability on Game Pass.

On the Nintendo platform, the top 10 chart remained largely stable, with The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy being the only new entry. Meanwhile, on Steam, top MAU titles included Schedule I, R.E.P.O., and Counter-Strike 2. Oblivion Remastered debuted at fifth place on Steam, and Path of Exile II also demonstrated strong engagement.

State of USA Gaming Market in April 2025

Industry Outlook

While the broader gaming market in the United States continues to experience a contraction in both content and hardware sales, individual titles and certain platforms show areas of resilience. The commercial success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, in particular, highlights consumer interest in well-executed remasters. As the industry progresses through 2025, trends in cross-platform publishing, subscription services, and mobile engagement will remain key factors in shaping the market landscape.

Source: GameDevReports