Sales of $7.5 billion! North America's demand for games is on the rise

Despite the economic impact of the pandemic , the outlook for the U.S. video game industry is improving.

The latest report from industry tracking organization NPD Group says that the U.S. video game market is growing strongly. According to GamesIndustry, in January 2021, U.S. video game sales were $4.71 billion , up 42% from last year .

Meanwhile, video game hardware sales grew 144% year-over-year , from $131 million last year to $319 million in January 2021 .

Sales of video game content soared to $4.17 billion , up 36% year-over-year . On the other hand, the accessories market had the second-highest growth, up 73% to $222 million, compared to just $128 million last year .

Mat Piscatella, executive director and video game industry consultant at The NPD Group, said the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console sold in the final month of January.

In a separate report, NPD Group believes that sales of video game hardware, software, and accessories in Canada hit a 10-year high. Canadian consumers spent 29% more overall on new physical hardware, software and accessories, as well as digital console and PC content, compared to 2019 .

“ The growth in the video game industry that we saw early in the pandemic has been driven by growth in nearly every gaming category, driving the market to record spending in both the fourth quarter and the full year, ” said Joan Ramsay, industry analyst at The NPD Group. “New hardware console launches from Sony and Microsoft in November, coupled with continued strong sales of the Nintendo Switch, have led to strong sales not only of hardware, but also purchases of ancillary accessories and content. ”

In addition, PC games , hardware, and accessories also achieved good growth in 2020 .

According to the latest data from NPD Group, overall personal spending on PCs in the United States increased significantly year-on-year in 2020 .

PC game sales grew 19% year-over-year to $7.5 billion in 2020, thanks to people seeking other forms of entertainment during the pandemic .

In 2020, the number of PC video game players, as well as the time and money these players invested in PC games, increased significantly.

NPD’s Evolution of Entertainment report states that 40% of U.S. consumers played PC games last year, a 4% increase from 2019. The amount of time spent playing PC games also increased by 14% .

PC gaming is the most innovative , open and diverse segment of the video game industry. “ PC gaming is also one of the most accessible and affordable products for consumers , as many households have a desktop or laptop computer, ” said Mat Piscatella , video game industry analyst at NPD Group .

In 2020, U.S. consumer spending on PC gaming hardware and accessories also grew 62% to $4.5 billion , a significant increase from 2019 and more than double total sales in 2017.

All hardware and accessories categories achieved double-digit growth , with PC headsets , monitors, and keyboards experiencing the highest growth rates.

PC gaming accessories revenue surpassed PC gaming hardware, growing 81% and 57% respectively in 2020.

“The pandemic has played a major role in the growth of PC gaming as consumers look to stay entertained while staying at home,” said Stephen Baker, technology industry advisor at NPD . “ We expect PC gaming hardware and accessories to grow 3% in 2021. ”

Gaming Industry

North America

Video Games