Borderlands 4 and Switch 2 Boost U.S. Game Sales to $4.8B

U.S. consumer spending on video games rose 10% in September to $4.8 billion, according to Circana. The increase was driven by strong Nintendo Switch 2 hardware sales and the launch of Borderlands 4, which debuted at No. 1 on the monthly software charts.

Released on Sept. 12, Borderlands 4 ranks third in year-to-date sales for 2025, with launch-month sales 30% higher than those of Borderlands 3, its predecessor, which debuted as the overall top seller.

NBA 2K26, launched Sept. 5, placed second in September and remains 2025’s top seller, followed by EA Sports FC 26 (No. 3), Ghost of Yōtei (No. 4), and Madden NFL 26 (No. 5).

New Titles Enter Top 20, Mobile Spending Shows Stability

Nine new releases entered Circana’s Top 20 in September, including Silent Hill F (No. 7), Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (No. 8), Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (No. 9), NHL 26, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, and Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, the latter aided by Switch 2 demand.

Looking at mobile, Sensor Tower data showed that seven titles held their spots in the Top Ten, with Gossip Harbour rising three places to No. 8, Royal Kingdom moving up to No. 9, and Township at No. 10.

Sam Aune of Sensor Tower said Clash Royale held fifth with 12% month-over-month in-app revenue, and Kingshot remained sixth. He added, “Clash Royale, Kingshot, and Royal Kingdom are all currently running aggressive UA campaigns,” highlighting mobile user acquisition efforts.

Overall content spending grew 24% year over year to $324 million, up from $261 million in the same period last year. Non-mobile subscriptions rose 32%, console content increased 12%, and mobile content grew 4%. Hardware revenue climbed 20% to $32 billion, led by Switch 2, followed by PlayStation and Xbox.

September’s results indicate steady engagement across console, mobile, and subscription markets, reflecting strong consumer activity in the U.S. games market heading into the holiday quarter.