In August 2024, the UK video game market continued to shift towards digital distribution, with a staggering 75% of all games sold by major publishers being downloaded rather than purchased in physical form. This marks a notable 10 percentage point increase compared to the same period last year. According to GSD data, a total of 1.74 million video games were sold in the UK throughout the month, representing a slight 1.5% decline compared to August 2023.

Despite the dip in overall sales, Take-Two Interactive had a good month. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V took the top spot in the charts, with Grand Theft Auto Online following close behind in fourth place. Additionally, the 2K Games label, which is also under the Take-Two umbrella, saw significant success. Several of its titles – Borderlands 3 (No. 3), New Tales from the Borderlands (No. 6), and WWE 2K24 (No. 10)—secured top positions. This resurgence of Borderlands titles in the charts was largely driven by promotional efforts linked to the upcoming Borderlands movie and the announcement of Borderlands 4.

New releases struggled to make much of an impact in August, with Madden NFL 25 being the most successful newcomer, landing at No. 41 on the charts. The game’s performance was down by 31.5% compared to its predecessor, partly due to competition from EA’s College Football title, which launched in July.

In addition to modern games, some older classics reappeared on the charts. The TimeSplitters series was re-released on PlayStation with additional trophy support, though they did not break into the upper rankings. Similarly, remasters of Doom and Doom 2 charted low, at No. 241, but previous owners of the games received the upgrades for free.

Console Sales Remain Sluggish

The console market in the UK had a slow August, with fewer than 75,000 units sold. This figure represents a 3% decrease compared to July and a 45% decline from the same month in 2023 (GfK data). The PlayStation 5 saw a small increase in sales, up 4% over July, but sales were down a dramatic 57% compared to last year. Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch sales fell 10% month-over-month and 30% year-over-year. The Xbox Series X|S consoles remained flat compared to July but saw a 22% drop compared to August 2023. Throughout the year, the Xbox and Switch have been alternating between second and third place in the console sales rankings.

Accessory sales also mirrored this trend, with a total of 516,774 units sold, down 4.5% from July and 9.6% compared to the same time last year. Sony’s DualSense controllers remain the top sellers, with the white version leading the accessory market for 2024. In terms of revenue, however, the PlayStation Portal streaming handheld has taken the top spot, signaling a shift toward more premium accessories.

Despite the challenges facing both physical game sales and console purchases, the UK video game market continues to evolve, with digital downloads leading the charge and legacy franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Borderlands maintaining their strong presence.