The Xbox Series in America Had the Most Successful Month in 11 Years

The Xbox had virtually no exclusivity in the first three months of 2022, but as things stand now - sales still outperform Sony's results. We’ve already written that the Xbox Series has been selling better than the PlayStation 5 in major European markets for two months in a row, and now NPD’s data for the U.S. market has arrived. And they are very similar to those of Europe.

Americans bought the Nintendo Switch the most this winter, the Xbox Series X and S consoles combined were in second place, and the PlayStation 5 in third place. Although the Switch was more marketable, the Xbox achieved higher sales for the total amount of dollars, which is logical because Xbox consoles cost more than the Switch.

At Microsoft, they have reason to rejoice because the Xbox in the United States in the third month of 2022 was the best-selling in the last 11 years. The last time the Xbox sold this well in America was in 2011, in the era of the Xbox 360. This is interesting again because it can't be said that Microsoft gave players a reason to buy in the form of exclusive games. Presumably, the Xbox Game Pass has become a more attractive exclusive than anything the Xbox currently has to offer.

Unlike Europe, where the PlayStation controller is the best-selling console accessory, Americans are a bit more wasteful - in 2022, their best-selling console accessory was the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller.

Continued console hardware supply challenges combined with a return to experiential spending are likely drivers of the Q1 declines. pic.twitter.com/9orAnFJDhQ

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) April 25, 2022

Despite Xbox’s successes, consumption has fallen in the U.S. market by 15% in terms of console sales compared to the first three months of last year. The number of games sold also fell by 7%.

Among the best-selling games, only Elden Ring achieved significant success, becoming the second best-selling game in the US market in the last 12 months (behind CoD: Vanguard), and the best-selling new game in 2022. In the first three months of 2022, the following games were the best-selling among Americans:

1. Elden Ring
2. Pokemon Legends: Arceus
3. Horizon: Forbidden West
4. Gran Turismo 7
5. Call of Duty: Vanguard
6. Madden NFL 22
7. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
8. Mario Kart 8
9. Dying Light 2 Stay Human
10. FIFA 22