U.S. Game Spending Hit $60.4B in 2021

Total consumer spending on game sales in the U.S. reached a record $60.4 billion in 2021, an 8% increase compared to the year prior, according to market research firm NPD. 

Game content spending, which includes digital games, DLC, and subscriptions across consoles, mobile, PC, portable, and VR hardware, reached $51.7 billion, making up 85% of last year’s consumer spending on games in the U.S. 

• Spending on game accessories reached $2.7 billion in 2021, a 2% uptick year-over-year.
• Hardware sales generated $6 billion in revenue, up from $5.3 billion in 2020.
• The Nintendo Switch finished as the best-selling console in unit and dollar sales. 
• Last year, spending on mobile games increased 14% compared to the year prior. 

Leader of the Pack 

Last year marked a strong sales performance for Activision Blizzard, which is set to be acquired by Microsoft for $69.7 billion in an all-cash deal expected to close by July 2023. 

For the 13th consecutive year, the company’s “Call of Duty” series topped the annual U.S. gaming title sales charts. “Call of Duty: Vanguard” was the best-selling game of 2021, followed by “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.” 

Activision Blizzard posted $2.07 billion in revenue in Q3 2021, up 5.9% year-over-year.