It’s hard to believe there was once a time when gamers thought Elden Ring would never launch. Now the game has not only stayed high on the sales charts for years since launch, but its sequel has debuted as a top-seller in the U.S., according to industry-tracking firm Circana. Elden Ring: Nightreign was the number one game in May, despite releasing at the very end of the month.
| May 2025 Dollar Sales, Millions | May 2024 | May 2025 | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales | $4,026 | $4,052 | 1% |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $3,664 | $3,726 | 2% |
| Video Game Hardware | $197 | $172 | -13% |
| Video Game Accessories | $165 | $154 | -6% |
“May 2025 hardware spending fell 13% compared to a year ago, to $172 million,” said Mat Piscatella, Circana’s executive producer for games reports. “Nintendo Switch spending fell 44% year-on-year, with PS5 sales growing 3%. Xbox Series spending declined 30%. PlayStation 5 was once again the best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollars, while the PS5 Dual Sense Wireless Controller in Midnight Black led all accessories in both measures.”
A drop in hardware spending is not unusual for 2025, given the age of the hardware on the market. May is also the lead-up month before the launch of the Switch 2, so it makes sense that fewer people were buying Switches. It remains to be seen what June’s charts show about that new console’s launch.
| Year-to-Date 2025 Dollar Sales, Millions | YTD 2024 | YTD 2025 | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales | $23,317 | $21,838 | -6% |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $20,717 | $19,760 | -5% |
| Video Game Hardware | $1,493 | $1,105 | -26% |
| Video Game Accessories | $1,107 | $972 | -12% |
The overall sales of the year are also not necessarily surprising — sales have been on a downturn since 2024, with hardware sales in general taking a hit compared with last year. However, Piscatella noted that there was a modest increase in May in overall sales. “May video game content spending increased 2% when compared to a year ago, to $3.7 billion. The growth was led by a 29% gain in non-mobile subscription spending when compared to May 2024.”
Circana May 2025: Top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | Elden Ring: Nightreign | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2 | NEW | Doom: The Dark Ages | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 3 | 2 | Forza Horizon 5 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 4 | 1 | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 5 | 5 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 6 | 3 | MLB: The Show 25^^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 7 | 4 | Minecraft^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 8 | 15 | Grand Theft Auto V | Take-Two Interactive |
| 9 | 9 | NBA 2K25 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 10 | 14 | EA Sports FC 25 | Electronic Arts |
| 11 | 6 | Assassin’s Creed: Shadows | Ubisoft |
| 12 | 135 | Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017) | Electronic Arts |
| 13 | 10 | Split Fiction | Electronic Arts |
| 14 | 16 | Red Dead Redemption II | Take-Two Interactive |
| 15 | NEW | F1 25 | Electronic Arts |
| 16 | 34 | Helldivers II | Sony (Corp) |
| 17 | 13 | The Last of Us: Part II | Sony (Corp) |
| 18 | 8 | WWE 2K25 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 19 | NEW | Capcom Fighting Collection 2 | Capcom USA |
| 20 | 11 | PGA Tour 2K25 | Take-Two Interactive |
^^Digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox platforms not included
Both Elden Ring: Nightreign and Doom: The Dark Ages have shot to the top of May’s best-seller chart, joined by fellow new releases F1 25 and Capcom Fighting Collection 2. The four games represent some of the major releases of May, with The Dark Ages being the fourth Microsoft-published title in the top five slots of the month.
Piscatella noted that the sales figures on Circana’s report now include multiple PC storefronts: “The best-selling title charts now include digital PC revenues from Battle. net, Bethesda. net, EA App, Epic Games Store, Rockstar Store, Steam, Ubisoft Store and Microsoft Store for participating panel publishers.” The firm also plans to publish a best-selling PC chart each month.
What is Star Wars: Battlefront II doing here?
There are two games on the May charts that have jumped up the list from extremely far down: Helldiver 2 and Star Wars: Battlefront II. Helldivers 2’s inclusion is unsurprising, as the game received a major update in May, the Masters of Ceremony Warbond and the Station-81 ARG. The game will likely receive yet another boost when it launches on Xbox in August.
As for Star Wars: Battlefront II, its rise is more precipitous by several orders. This appears to be thanks to the franchise’s major releases in May, such as the show Andor. Battlefront fans also began an initiative to log into the game in a bid to show their interest in Battlefront 3. Even Andor actor Muhannad Ben Amor joined the call, supporting the campaign and revealing he had 469 hours of playtime in the game.
Circana May 2025: 20 best-selling games of 2025 so far
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Monster Hunter: Wilds | Capcom USA |
| 2 | 3 | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 3 | 2 | Assassin’s Creed: Shadows | Ubisoft |
| 4 | 4 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 5 | 5 | MLB: The Show 25^^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 6 | 6 | Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Plaion |
| 7 | 7 | WWE 2K25 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 8 | 9 | Split Fiction | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 10 | NBA 2K25 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 10 | 8 | Civilization VII [Sid Meier’s] | Take-Two Interactive |
| 11 | NEW | Elden Ring: Nightreign | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 12 | 14 | Forza Horizon 5 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 13 | 12 | Minecraft^ | Multiple Video Game Manufacturers |
| 14 | 11 | PGA Tour 2K25 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 15 | 13 | Grand Theft Auto V | Take-Two Interactive |
| 16 | NEW | Doom: The Dark Ages | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 17 | 15 | EA Sports FC 25 | Electronic Arts |
| 18 | 17 | Red Dead Redemption II | Take-Two Interactive |
| 19 | 16 | Madden NFL 25 | Electronic Arts |
| 20 | 18 | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Sony (Corp) |
^^Digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox platforms not included
Elden Ring: Nightreign and Doom: The Dark Ages both made it onto the year-to-date best-seller list, although it didn’t jump as far up the list as the likes of Oblivion: Remastered and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The two new additions have shaken up the list, with most entries shifting down on the list.
