In March, Resident Evil 4 Remake is the most popular song. The first quarter of this year saw an increase in a video game and console sales in the UK, according to the most recent market data from GSD and GfK.
With slightly under eight million games sold, GSD data reveals that game sales (including physical and digital downloads) increased by 1% from the previous year. Given that Q1 2022 had notable launches like Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Elden Ring, and Horizon: Forbidden West, it’s a remarkable accomplishment.
The fastest-selling video game in the UK since Red Dead Redemption 2 (apart from FIFA and Call of Duty) is called Hogwarts Legacy. It has already outsold the previous year’s two most popular video games, Elden Ring and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
According to GfK data, the console hardware market increased significantly in the first quarter of the year by 24.2%. The PS5, which is now fully stocked but was largely absent from shelves during Q1 of last year, is to blame for this. Sales of Sony’s new platform, the PS5, increased by more than 180% in the first three months of the year, accounting for more than half of the market.
For the first quarter of the year in the UK, game console sales are up over 24%. This is entirely down to PS5 (which was in short supply last year). Sony's new console accounted for over 50% of all game consoles sold during Q1 this year in the UK (GfK data)
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) April 11, 2023
The achievement compensated for the Nintendo Switch‘s (the year’s No. 2 console) sharp sales fall (down over 25%). The Xbox Series S and X sales decreased by 18% in the first quarter.
Resident Evil 4 is the best-selling game in March
Analyzing the market data for March reveals that sales were marginally down. According to GSD data, 2.7 million physical and digital games were sold, a 3% decrease over the prior year.
Resident Evil 4 remake took the top rank despite its late-month release. The Resident Evil 3 remake performed better than the Capcom game, which didn’t sell as much as the Resident Evil 2 Remake or the most current Resident Evil Village. Sales of Resident Evil 4 were split 65% between PlayStation, 20% Xbox, and 15% PC.
The best-selling game of March in the UK was Resident Evil 4 Remake. 65% of sales were on PlayStation platforms, 20% on Xbox and 15% on PC. All the data is right here: https://t.co/H44my9h54r
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) April 11, 2023
Hogwarts Legacy had to settle for second place last month due to the horror game’s success.
WWE 2K23 is the fourth-biggest new release and follows at No. Sales for the first three weeks were 20% lower than those for WWE 2K22 from the previous year. But last year’s title had more unmet demand because it had taken so long to arrive.
The most recent action-adventure game, Tchia, is listed as No. 6 on the new release schedule. Metroid Prime Remastered is only No. 9 in the top ten list. The charting company does not receive digital data from Nintendo; therefore, this solely depends on physical sales. In February, the game first debuted on the Nintendo Eshop.
Elden Ring‘s sales in March 2022 were still quite robust, and Gran Turismo 7 was also released on PlayStation platforms.
According to GfK panel statistics, 138,000 consoles were sold in March, a 3% decrease from February. It is a 23% increase over March of last year, though.
The PS5 was the most popular system in March, despite sales declining slightly (down 2%). Nintendo Switch was the No. 2 system, despite sales (very, very marginally) increasing in March compared to February. A new Super Mario hardware package aided this. Last month, 12.8% of all Switch consoles were sold in the Red Switch bundle, trailing only the White OLED (23.6%) and the Neon Switch (26.3%).
With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the upcoming Super Mario movie, the next three months will be crucial for Switch. Xbox Series S and X sales were down by 10% significantly.
In the accessories category, 616,045 add-on products were sold in March, up more than 20% from February but down 3.7% from March 2022. (GfK panel data).
The PS5 DualSense controller dropped to No. 2 this time, an unusual change. With a price reduction for the last two weeks of the month (an average drop of £6 to £45.50), the Xbox Wireless Controller (Carbon Black) climbed three spots to take the top among accessories by volume. The Microsoft Robot White Controller ranked No. 7 in February by sales and rose to No. 3 due to the price reduction.
The best-selling item in terms of revenue for March 2023 is Sony’s DualSense Edge Wireless Controller. The controller increased from 52 to 7 in volume during its first month of sales but ranked first in revenue (already No.9 by revenue during February). The controller is now being sold at other places after only being offered directly by Sony.
UK GSD March 2023 Top 10 (Digital + Physical)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil 4 Remake (Capcom) |
| 2 | Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros) |
| 3 | FIFA 23 (EA) |
| 4 | WWE 2K23 (2K Games) |
| 5 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
| 6 | Tchia (Kepler) |
| 7 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Blizzard) |
| 8 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
| 9 | Metroid Prime Remastered (Nintendo)* |
| 10 | NBA 2K23 (2K Games) |