The US games spending hit a record of $60.4 billion and Call of Duty: Vanguard became the best-selling game of the year.
The US set yet another record for games spending in 2021. Total consumer spending last year reached $60.4 billion representing an 8% increase compared to last year, according to NPD's latest report. 80% of the year's revenue was comprised of software. Software sales grew by 7%, while hardware sales showed growth with a 14% increase compared to sales in 2020.
The best-selling title of 2021 was Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War took the second spot, followed by Madden NFL 22. This is the 13th year in a row when the Call of Duty series appears on the annual US top games charts.
Here is the list of the top 20 games of 2021 in terms of sales:
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (Activision Blizzard);
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War (Activision Blizzard);
- Madden NFL 22 (EA);
- Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl (Nintendo);
- Battlefield 2042 (EA);
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Sony);
- Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo);
- Resident Evil: Village (Capcom);
- MLB: The Show 21 (Sony);
- Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo);
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft);
- FIFA 22 (EA);
- Minecraft (Microsoft);
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo);
- NBA 2K22 (2K);
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Ubisoft);
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo);
- Back 4 Blood (Warner Bros);
- Mortal Kombat 11 (Warner Bros);
- Forza Horizon 5 (Microsoft).
Call of Duty: Vanguard
Game accessories generated $2.7 billion in consumer spending in 2021 showing a 2% increase. The best-selling gamepad throughout the year was Sony's White DualSense Wireless Controller.
The video game industry kept thriving in 2021, powered by new platforms and content. According to NPD games industry analyst Mat Piscatella, such platforms as Nintendo Switch, PC and Quest 2 "delivered strong sales and engagement" while PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles have been in scarce supply. Piscatella noted: "Video game players enjoyed a wide range of options in the variety of games to enjoy, platforms to play them on, and ways to engage with them. Sales gains were seen across several segments, from hardware to accessories, and from subscription services to digital post-launch recurrent spending."
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