The NPD Group has released data for video game software and hardware sales in the United States for the month of March 2022, and it was quite an eventful month, especially where software sales are concerned. Elden Ring, which topped charts with a record-breaking debut last month, is still on top, with sales growing over what it managed in February. Over the past 12-month period, Elden Ring is the second-best selling game in the US, behind only Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Beyond that, however, the vast majority of games in the top 20 are new releases. Gran Turismo 7 debuts in second place, and also took the same position on the PlayStation charts for the month. Interestingly, the racing sim set a new all-time launch month dollar sales record for a Gran Turismo launch.
There’s plenty of other new releases in the top 20 as well. Kirby and the Forgotten Land comes in at No. 3, MLB The Show 22 takes fourth place, while WWE 2K22 is in at No. 7. Other major new releases in the charts are Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin (at No. 10), Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (at No. 11), GhostWire: Tokyo (at No. 12), and Triangle Strategy (at No. 16).
On the hardware front, meanwhile, the PS5 is continuing to struggle due to significantly constrained supply shortages. For both March and the first quarter of 2022, Xbox Series X/S is the best-selling console in the US in terms of dollar sales, while the Nintendo Switch tops both periods in terms of unit sales.
Total hardware dollar sales, meanwhile, is down 24% year-over-year, dropping to $515 million. For the first quarter period, hardware sales stand at $1.2 billion, which is down 15% year-over-year.
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