In August, the European gaming market saw significant movement, with 1.8 million console and PC games sold across the continent. This figure represents a 7% year-on-year increase, largely driven by discounted older titles and major new releases. According to data from GSD, which tracks digital sales from leading publishers and physical sales across major European markets, this growth reflects the dynamic nature of the gaming landscape in the region.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Reclaims the Top Spot
At the forefront of this resurgence is Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 5, which reclaimed the No. 1 position on the charts, nearly a decade after its initial release. Sales for the game rose by 5.7% compared to the same period last year, largely due to widespread promotions and discounts. GTA 5 continues to be a dominant force in the gaming industry, maintaining its appeal across multiple generations of consoles.

Star Wars Outlaws Falls Short of Expectations
Ubisoft’s highly anticipated Star Wars Outlaws, the second best-selling game of August, had a rocky launch. Despite the strong brand power of the Star Wars franchise, its initial sales were disappointing, falling to less than half of what Star Wars Jedi: Survivor managed to sell in its first week in 2023. However, Outlaws did outperform 2020’s Star Wars: Squadrons, another EA-published title focused on space combat, offering some solace for Ubisoft.

Black Myth: Wukong’s Absence from the Charts
August also saw the release of Black Myth: Wukong, a game many expected to perform well. However, due to the absence of digital sales data, its impact on the charts was muted, with the physical edition of the game only managing to reach No. 68. This omission leaves a gap in assessing the full performance of this much-hyped title.

Legacy Titles Surge in Popularity
A number of older games saw renewed interest in August. Kingdom Come: Deliverance skyrocketed to No. 4 on the charts, largely due to a substantial discount on Steam that brought the game’s price below £3. Borderlands 3 also experienced a boost, climbing the ranks following the announcement of a new Borderlands movie and Borderlands 4.

Disappointment for Sony’s Concord
One of the most discussed titles of August, Sony’s Concord, suffered a particularly unfortunate fate. The game failed to capture the interest of players, leading to its removal from sale. It ranked at No. 347 across Europe, a disastrous result for a major release. Emio: The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, a Nintendo title, performed better, ranking as the 13th best-selling new game of August, though Nintendo’s digital sales were not included in the data.

Console Sales Decline Despite PS5 Leading the Market
In the hardware sector, just over 300,000 gaming consoles were sold across Europe, marking a steep 42% decline compared to the previous year. However, this figure represents a modest 12% increase over July. Despite a year-on-year sales drop of more than 50%, Sony’s PlayStation 5 continued to dominate the console market. The Nintendo Switch maintained its position as the second most popular console, though its sales were down by 25% compared to August 2023.

For the year-to-date, overall console sales in Europe have fallen by 29%, underscoring a broader trend of hardware market contraction.

Accessories See Steep Drop
The decline wasn’t limited to consoles. Sales of gaming accessories also took a hit, with 1.1 million units sold across tracked European markets, a decrease of over 17% compared to the previous year. This indicates that consumers are becoming more selective with their purchases, possibly in response to economic pressures.

The August charts highlight the enduring popularity of legacy games like GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, which have consistently performed well despite being years past their initial release. These titles, along with new entries like Star Wars Outlaws, reflect a mix of both timeless appeal and the shifting landscape of new game launches.

As the year progresses, it will be interesting to see whether Ubisoft can turn around the initial underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws, and how legacy titles like Grand Theft Auto 5 will continue to influence the charts.