March was a win for many established video game franchises, according to industry-tracking firm Circana. Pokemon, MLB: The Show, WWE 2K and Monster Hunter all posted new games on the U.S. bestseller list for the month. Crimson Desert also carried the banner for new IP, also making it onto the charts.
| March 2026 Dollar Sales, Millions | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales (Projected to Total Market) | $4,755 | $5,394 | 12% |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $4,219 | $4,551 | 8% |
| Video Game Hardware | $297 | $500 | 69% |
| Video Game Accessories | $239 | $252 | 5% |
“US projected total market video game spending reached $5.3 billion in March 2026, a 12% increase when compared to March 2025,” said Mat Piscatella, Circana’s senior director of video game reports. “First quarter spending grew 5% when compared to a year ago, to $14.6 billion.”
Circana noted a sharp increase in many segments of the market, including a 40% increase year-over-year in digital premium downloads on console and a 20% increase in non-mobile subscription content spending. Hardware spending is the biggest obvious increase, jumping 69% from the previous year.
| Year-to-Date 2026 Dollar Sales, Millions | YTD 2025 | YTD 2026 | Change |
| Total Video Game Sales (Projected to Total Market) | $13,832 | $14,559 | 5% |
| Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms) | $12,401 | $12,833 | 3% |
| Video Game Hardware | $777 | $1,074 | 38% |
| Video Game Accessories | $654 | $653 | 0% |
The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling hardware unit for both March and 2026 overall, according to Circana. Accessories spending is also up, with cases and organizers selling 180% better this year than they did last March.
Circana March 2026 | Top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW | MLB: The Show 26^^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
| 2 | 1 | Resident Evil: Requiem | Capcom USA |
| 3 | NEW | WWE 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 4 | NEW | Marathon (2026) | Sony (Corp) |
| 5 | NEW | Pokémon: Pokopia* | Nintendo |
| 6 | 3 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 7 | NEW | Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection | Capcom USA |
| 8 | 2 | NBA 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 9 | 4 | Minecraft^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
| 10 | 6 | EA Sports FC 26 | Electronic Arts |
| 11 | 10 | Grand Theft Auto V | Take-Two Interactive |
| 12 | 7 | Battlefield 6 | Electronic Arts |
| 13 | 12 | Red Dead Redemption II | Take-Two Interactive |
| 14 | 15 | Ghost of Yotei | Sony (Corp) |
| 15 | NEW | Crimson Desert* | Pearl Abyss |
| 16 | 5 | Helldivers II | Sony (Corp) |
| 17 | 165 | Death Stranding 2: On the Beach | Sony (Corp) |
| 18 | 19 | Pokémon Legends: Z-A* | Nintendo |
| 19 | 75 | Mario Kart World* | Nintendo |
| 20 | 8 | Madden NFL 26 | Electronic Arts |
^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.
^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included.
As stated above, franchises dominate the sales charts in March, with MLB: The Show’s and WWE 2K’s 2026 entries taking two out of the three top spots. Resident Evil: Requiem, another entry in a legendary series, remains near the top of the chart. Speaking of Capcom franchises, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection joined the list as well.
Pokemon is the other major franchise to make splash in March, with Pokopia joining Legends: Z-A on the charts. Pokopia is one of the newest Switch 2 games, with its current popularity possibly being responsible for the good sales of hardware from Nintendo.
Other winners on March’s chart
In addition to the established franchises that have made the charts in March, Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert is a new IP to join the charts. Considering digital sales aren’t tracked for the title, it’s likely to be even higher up the charts if you take those into account. It made ninth place on the PlayStation bestseller chart as well.
Bungie’s Marathon is not a new game, per se, but it is the first new entry in the series since 1996. Given that it’s likely the first Marathon game for many players, it probably got so high on the charts thanks to goodwill from Bungie’s previous titles. It also made the bestseller charts specific to PC, Xbox and PlayStation.
Death Stranding 2 and Mario Kart World also made unexpected jumps onto the bestseller chart, from positions 165 and 75, respectively. Death Stranding 2’s position is due to its launch on PC on March 16. Mario Kart World’s boost is likely due to a rare sale on Woot and Amazon.
Circana March 2026 |20 best-selling games of 2026 so far
| Rank | Last Month Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Resident Evil: Requiem | Capcom USA |
| 2 | NEW | MLB: The Show 26^^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
| 3 | NEW | WWE 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 4 | 2 | NBA 2K26 | Take-Two Interactive |
| 5 | 3 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 6 | NEW | Marathon (2026) | Sony (Corp) |
| 7 | 5 | Minecraft^ | Multiple Video Game Publishers |
| 8 | 6 | EA Sports FC 26 | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 7 | Battlefield 6 | Electronic Arts |
| 10 | 4 | Madden NFL 26 | Electronic Arts |
| 11 | 8 | Grand Theft Auto V | Take-Two Interactive |
| 12 | NEW | Pokémon: Pokopia* | Nintendo |
| 13 | 9 | Red Dead Redemption II | Take-Two Interactive |
| 14 | 10 | Helldivers II | Sony (Corp) |
| 15 | NEW | Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection | Capcom USA |
| 16 | 13 | Ghost of Yotei | Sony (Corp) |
| 17 | 11 | Forza Horizon 5 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| 18 | 16 | Pokémon Legends: Z-A* | Nintendo |
| 19 | 21 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 20 | 19 | Split Fiction | Electronic Arts |
^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.
^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included.
Resident Evil Requiem continues to hold the top spot on the year-to-date bestseller chart, with five of March’s launches joining it. MLB: The Show and WWE 2K entries are frequently on the first-quarter year-to-date chart, with their placements on the 2026 being similar to their predecessors on the March 2025 chart.