The NPD Group has released their full North American sales data for August 2021, and the industry hot streak continues, with players spending $4.4 billion on games, additional content, and hardware, representing a year-on-year increase of 7 percent. On the hardware front, the PS5 came out on top in terms of dollar sales while Switch was again #1 in total unit sales. Overall, it was the most lucrative August for video game hardware sales since the heyday of the Wii in 2008.

　　For software, Madden NFL 22 was, as usual, king of August, but Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut came in strong at #2. The game was ranked 110th the previous month, so Sony’s new strategy of refreshing games with director’s cuts seems to be a winning one. Meanwhile, Humankind debuted surprisingly well at #4 and Nintendo continued their hot streak, monopolizing 9 of the top 20 spots, despite not releasing any major new games in August.

　　Here are August's top 20 games according to NPD:

　　Madden NFL 22Ghost of Tsushima (including Director’s Cut)Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarHumankindSpider-Man: Miles MoralesMario Kart 8The Legend of Zelda: Skyward SwordMinecraftAssassin’s Creed: ValhallaMLB The Show 21Super Smash Bros. UltimateCall of Duty: Modern WarfareRatchet & Clank: Rift ApartAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsPokemon Sword & ShieldMortal Kombat 11Super Mario 3D WorldThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildMario Golf: Super RushSuper Mario PartyAnd here are the top-10 best-selling games of 2021 thus far:

　　Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarMLB The Show 21Resident Evil VillageMadden NFL 22Super Mario 3D WorldSpider-Man: Miles MoralesMario Kart 8Monster Hunter RiseMinecraftAssassin’s Creed ValhallaIt’s still the calm before the storm – will any of the games above hold on once Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Halo arrive? We shall see.