April 2023 Circana: PS5 Locked in Fierce Battle with Nintendo Switch

Star Wars Jedi, Dead Island 2 rule supreme

The more expensive PS5 generated more dollar sales than the Nintendo Switch in the United States in April 2023, but the hybrid hardware – now into its seventh year on the market – sold more units. That's likely due to anticipation for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, alongside continued popularity of evergreen franchises, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which was no doubt boosted by the release of the Super Mario Bros movie.

While overall hardware spending was up seven per cent year-over-year for the period spanning 2nd April through 29th April, it was the PS5 and Nintendo Switch doing the heavy lifting, as other platforms endured declines. All in all, the US industry slumped to a five per cent year-over-year decline, racking up $4.1 billion in revenue.

In terms of software sales, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Dead Island 2 topped the charts, while MLB The Show 23 held onto its position in third place. Hogwarts Legacy slipped from second place to sixth, but both EA Sports PGA Tour and Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection posted incredibly impressive results, finishing seventh and eighth respectively. Another retro compilation, Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters charted reasonably, too, reaching 14th position.

While the impact of HBO's critically acclaimed show was less pronounced in April 2023, The Last of Us: Part I did hang around in 17th place. In fact, in terms of year-to-date sales, the Naughty Dog remake is now above God of War Ragnarok, vindicating the legendary developer's decision to revisit the release on the PS5.

* Digital sales not included^ Xbox and Nintendo Switch digital sales not included

[source twitter.com]