The former NPD Group (they’ve now inexplicably changed their name to the much less memorable “Circana”) has released its full North American sales data for February, which was a solid month for the industry. Players spent $4.6 billion on games, additional content, and hardware in February, a 6 percent year-on-year increase. This was largely driven by hardware sales, which were up a whopping 68 percent year-on-year. In terms of unit sales, the PS5 was the #1 console, followed by the Switch and Xbox Series X/S. When looking at dollar sales, it was PS5 #1, XSX #2, and Switch #3. In fact, the PS5 broke Sony's February hardware sales record previously held by the PS2.

　　Turning to software, Hogwarts Legacy took the #1 spot, unseating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Hogwarts is currently the #1 selling game of 2023, a record it has a solid chance of retaining at the end of the year. Other new additions to the charts include Wild Hearts at #8, Like a Dragon: Ishin at #9, Octopath Traveler II at #10, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe at #15, Company of Heroes 3 at #16, and Theatrythm Final Bar Line at #20. Meanwhile, despite some reports to the contrary, Dead Space held strong sales-wise, remaining at the #3 position in February, and The Last of Us Part I popped up to the #6 position based on the popularity of the HBO series.

　　Here are February’s top 20 games according to NPD/Circana:

　　1 - Hogwarts Legacy

　　2 -  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

　　3 - Dead Space

　　4 - Madden NFL 23

　　5 - FIFA 23

　　6 - The Last of Us Part I

　　7 - Elden Ring

　　8 - Wild Hearts

　　9 - Like a Dragon: Ishin!

　　10 - Octopath Traveler II

　　11 - God of War Ragnarok

　　12 - Minecraft

　　13 - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

　　14 - Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

　　15 - Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

　　16 - Company of Heroes 3

　　17 - Sonic Frontiers

　　18 - The Last of Us Part II

　　19 - NBA 2K23

　　20 - Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

　　And here are the top games of 2023 to date:

　　1 - Hogwarts Legacy

　　2 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

　　3 -Dead Space

　　4 - Madden NFL 23

　　5 - FIFA 23

　　6 - Elden Ring

　　7 - Fire Emblem Engage

　　8 - God of War Ragnarok

　　9 - The Last of Us Part I

　　10 – Forspoken

　　What are your thoughts on the February charts? Any big surprises or things you’re happy to see?