Grand Theft Auto 5 Leads European Game Sales with August Boost

The European gaming market has witnessed a significant uptick in console and PC game sales.

According to the latest figures from GSD, as reported by gamesindustry.biz, 11.8 million games were sold across Europe in August, marking a 7% increase compared to the previous year.

Which Games Are Dominating the European Charts?

Surprisingly, Grand Theft Auto 5, a game that’s been around for a decade, continues to dominate the charts. Its sales saw a 5.7% year-on-year increase, proving that well-crafted games can have incredible longevity.

Here’s a breakdown of the current frontrunners:

• 1. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar)
• 2. Star Wars Outlaws (Ubisoft)
• 3. Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros)
• 4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Deep Silver)
• 5. EA Sports FC 24 (EA)
• 6. Borderlands 3 (2K Games)
• 7. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar)
• 8. Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar)
• 9. Titanfall 2 (EA)
• 10. It Takes Two (EA)

While Star Wars Outlaws secured the second spot in August’s sales, its performance fell short of expectations. The game’s first-week sales were less than half of what EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor achieved in 2023. However, it did outperform the 2020 release, Star Wars Squadrons.

Interestingly, Black Myth: Wukong, another highly anticipated game, was largely missing from the charts, as its digital sales weren’t included in the data. The physical version of the game did manage to reach the 68th position. Recent Newzoo data indicate that it was a top-grossing game in August in 6 markets including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.

On the flip side, Sony’s Concord release struggled to find an audience and was subsequently pulled from sale, ranking at a disappointing 347th place across Europe for August. It ranked 13th among new games.

Contributing Factors

The significant jump in August sales can be largely attributed to discounts and promotions on legacy games. For instance, Kingdom Come: Deliverance rocketed to the fourth position after its price dropped below £3 on Steam.

Meanwhile, Borderlands 3 was on the top list, likely due to the release of the Borderlands movie and the announcement of a sequel.

Hardware Sales

While software sales are on the rise, hardware sales tell a different story. Approximately 300,000 game consoles were sold across tracked European markets in August. This represents a 42% drop compared to the same period last year. However, it’s worth noting that it’s a 12% increase from July 2024.

The PlayStation 5 remains the market leader, despite experiencing a more than 50% year-on-year decline in sales. The Nintendo Switch came in second, with its sales dropping by 25%.

Overall, console sales are down 29% year-to-date in Europe.

Accessory sales also declined, with 1.1 million items sold, which is down over 17% compared to last year.

The data includes digital sales from major platforms like Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and Nintendo Eshop, and covers numerous European countries.

Source: Gamesindustry.biz