The NPD February 2021 report has been released, and it finds total industry spending reaching a record $4.6 billion, which is up 35% over February 2020. Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3 billion, up 39% year-over-year. Hardware dollar sales increased 121% year-over-year (yoy) to $406 million. This is the highest total for a February month since $468 million was accumulated in February 2011. Year-to-date hardware spending totaled $724 million, which is up 130% yoy. Nintendo Switch was the best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollars for the month. Unit and dollar sales of Nintendo Switch hardware in February were the highest for any hardware platform in a February month since the Nintendo Wii in February 2009. Lifetime dollar sales of Nintendo Switch hardware have now exceeded those of the Nintendo DS, making Switch Nintendo’s second best-selling platform in US tracked history. While Nintendo Wii ranks first, Switch is currently the seventh best-selling hardware platform in lifetime US dollar sales. PlayStation 5 was the second best-selling hardware platform in both unit and dollar sales. It is currently the fastest-selling hardware platform in US history in total dollar sales after four months on the market.
In software, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury debuted as the best-selling game for the month. It is now the second best-selling game of 2021 year-to-date. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War came in second on the software chart, and Persona 5 Strikers debuted in third place. Little Nightmares 2 debuted as the sixth best-selling game of February and is now the fifth best-selling game on Xbox platforms and tenth on PlayStation. A look at the best-selling games for February can be found above. The best-selling games for individual consoles can be found in the gallery. Spending on video game accessories totaled $195 million during the month, which is up 41% yoy. The Gamepad, Headset/Headphone, and Steering Wheel segments all achieved new February dollar sales records. The PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller White was the best-selling accessory for the month and leads year-to-date.
