August 2021 NPD: Ghost of Tsushima returns to dominate August game sales

Gaming fans in the United States spent $4.37 billion on their hobby in August, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. That is up 7% year-over-year thanks to ongoing demand for new hardware and a strong month for software. As with results for the last few months, this indicates that the games industry in the U.S. is at least maintaining and even building on its unprecedented gains from the heights of the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders.

“August 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories grew 7% when compared to a year ago, reaching an August record $4.4 billion,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “Year-to-date consumer spending totaled $37.9 billion, a 13% increase when compared to the same period in 2020.”