The March 2020 NPD report for the US video game market is in and we have all the details about what the top selling hardware and software for the month were.
Total spending for the month reached $1.579 billion which was up 35% from what the market made in March 2019. Hardware spending came out to $461 million in March 2020 which is up 63% when compared to March 2019. Software spending across consoles and PC was $739 million which was up 34% when compared to March 2019.
All of this is to say that when compared to the first two months of 2020 March was a huge turnaround. Part of that is because there were some huge new games this month including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, MLB The Show 20, Doom: Eternal, Persona 5 Royal, Resident Evil 3, and Nioh 2. The other part of it is likely due to the fact that everyone is at home right now which is leading more consumers to buy consoles and games. Don’t be surprised if April is another massive month when compared to April 2019.
The Nintendo Switch was once again the best selling hardware for the month and what a huge month it was for Nintendo’s console. Sales for Switch grew more than double compared to a year ago. It also set a new all-time record for hardware unit sales in a March month beating the previous best which was the Nintendo Switch in March 2017 which is when it launched. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also had a great month as both grew more than 25% year-on-year.
The software charts for March saw Animal Crossing: New Horizons take the No.1 spot which is no surprise. This is without counting digital sales as well. It has instantly become the second best selling game of 2020 to date. It also became the best selling Animal Crossing game in franchise history.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the second best selling game of the month and is the best selling game of 2020 to date. It sold more in March 2020 than any other Call of Duty title has in a March month.
Another huge seller for the month was MLB The Show 20 from Sony. It took the No.3 spot and is now the fifth best selling game of the year. It is also the fastest selling game in MLB history topping the record that was set by MLB The Show 19. This series seems to grow more and more every year and will likely continue to do so next year when Sony brings it to other platforms.
Below you can see the full top 20 selling games for the month of March 2020 as well as the top 10 selling games on each platform, and the top ten selling games over the past 12 months.
Top 20 Best-Selling Games of March 2020
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- MLB: The Show 20
- Resident Evil 3
- NBA 2K20
- Doom Eternal*
- Persona 5: Royal
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Borderlands 3
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
- Nioh 2
- Red Dead Redemption II
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX*
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Just Dance 2020
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Remastered
* Digital sales not included
^ Steam sales not included
# Minecraft digital sales on Xbox and PlayStation included
Top 10 games of 2020 to date:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- NBA 2K20
- MLB: The Show 20
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Resident Evil 3
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
Top 10 games over the last 12 months
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- NBA 2K20
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Borderlands 3
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
Top 10 Xbox One games in March 2020
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Resident Evil 3
- Doom Eternal*
- NBA 2K20
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
- Minecraft: Xbox One Edition
Top 10 PS4 games in March 2020
- MLB: The Show 20
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Persona 5: Royal
- Resident Evil 3
- NBA 2K20
- Nioh 2
- Doom Eternal*
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Remastered
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
Top 10 Nintendo Switch games in March 2020
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX*
- Just Dance 2020
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
- Super Mario Party*
- Luigi’s Mansion 3*
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
- Pokemon: Sword*
