Americans Spent $60.7 Billion on Games in 2025, and Battlefield Beat Call of Duty
US game spending reached its second-highest level ever, driven by Switch 2, subscriptions and higher prices. Battlefield 6 topped the charts, Call of Duty did not, and Monopoly Go ruled mobile.
For most of the last two decades, the answer to "what was America's best-selling game this year?" was some version of Call of Duty. In 2025, it was not. Battlefield 6 finished the year as the best-selling game in the United States, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 came fifth.
That was one of several surprises in the annual numbers from market tracker Circana, published with the industry body ESA on February 11, 2026. Americans spent $60.7 billion on video games in 2025, up 1.4%, the second-highest total in US history, behind only 2021's $61.7 billion. A later restatement nudged the total to $60.8 billion.
Where the money went
Circana splits the spending into three buckets:
- Content, meaning games, add-ons, subscriptions and mobile: $52.3 billion, up from $51.7 billion.
- Hardware, meaning consoles: $5.4 billion, up 9% from $4.9 billion.
- Accessories, such as controllers and headsets: $2.95 billion, down 7%.
The two fastest growers were subscriptions, up 20%, and hardware, helped by the Nintendo Switch 2, which was the best-selling console of the year with 4.4 million units in the US. PlayStation 5 came second.
Mobile grew about 1%. Sensor Tower, which tracks app-store spending for the report, put American mobile game spending at $26.7 billion.
Prices, not players
The most important line in the report came from Mat Piscatella, Circana's games analyst. He said total spending reached "the second highest total in U.S. history", but explained that most of the increase came from higher prices, not from more people spending.
That fits what American players experienced in 2025: price rises for consoles, a push toward pricier premium editions, and subscription services that cost more than before. Spending went up, but the number of people paying did not grow much.
The charts
Circana's top ten console and PC games of 2025, by dollar sales:
1. Battlefield 6 2. NBA 2K26 3. Borderlands 4 4. Monster Hunter Wilds 5. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 6. Madden NFL 26 7. EA Sports College Football 26 8. EA Sports FC 26 9. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered 10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Ghost of Yōtei just missed the top ten in 11th. Sports games took four of the top ten spots, as they do almost every year.
The mobile chart, from Sensor Tower, was led by Monopoly Go, followed by Royal Match, Last War: Survival, Candy Crush Saga, Whiteout Survival, Township, Clash Royale, Roblox, Coin Master and Gossip Harbor.
Why it matters
The US is the world's second-biggest games market, and its numbers set the mood for the industry. The 2025 report is reassuring on the surface: spending is near its record. Underneath, it confirms what many analysts worry about: growth is coming from prices, subscriptions and new hardware, not from new players.
For game makers, the lesson is mixed. Big releases and new hardware can still lift a whole year, but with few new players coming in, companies increasingly compete for the time and money of people who already play. That is one reason publishers lean so heavily on live-service games, subscriptions and premium editions.
The Battlefield result matters too. It showed that a well-received shooter can still knock Call of Duty off the top spot, something many thought impossible after years of Activision dominance. WGC's take: competition at the top is good for players. For the global numbers, see our world market guide.
What to watch
- 2026's chart, where GTA VI's November launch is likely to dominate.
- Whether subscriptions keep growing after recent price changes; see our Game Pass story.
- Switch 2's second holiday season in the US.