According to the latest data from Circana, the projected U.S. total spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories grew 10% this October compared to the same period last year, reaching $4.7 billion.

An increase in hardware and content sales drove the rise. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was October’s best-selling video game despite its release being the last week of October. It is also the third-best-selling video game year-to-date.

Other highlights from the Circana report include video game content sales increasing by 12% compared to a year ago, reaching $4.2 billion. Gaming consoles were the most significant contributors to the gain.

Non-mobile video game subscriptions also saw a 16% increase in spending compared to last October, thanks to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 being part of the Xbox Game Pass.

The only significant rank change in October was Pokémon GO (+14%) and Brawl Stars (-19%) swapping places. 

 “There is a bigger story happening in the background, however: MONOPOLY GO! saw a 20% decline in U.S. revenue this past month,” says Samuel Aune of Sensor Tower. “The game earned 50% more revenue in May and June 2024 than it did in October 2024. Another huge story is the recent release of Pokémon TCG Pocket, which is looking like the launch of the year. The game has already passed the $30 million worldwide in-app spend milestone a week after launch, with 22% of that coming from the U.S. (44% coming from Japan).”

Consumer spending on accessories increased by 15%. While overall spending increased, it was not all up. Hardware spending saw a 23% drop in sales compared to last October.