The NPD Group has released their full North American sales data for April 2021, and while business was down slightly year-on-year, it was still a good month. Players spent $4.6 billion on games, additional content, and hardware in April, down 2 percent compared to the same time period last year. Of course, it’s important to note that last April was the biggest ever, as the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns drove people to gaming and huge releases like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Animal Crossing: New Horizons dropped. So yeah, the industry almost doing as well as last year isn’t a bad thing. On the hardware front, Nintendo Switch was once again the top-selling system.

　　As for software, it was an up-and-down month for Sony – the newly-multiplatform MLB The Show 21 came in at #1, but the PS5-exclusive Returnal only squeaked in at #8 (granted, it was only on sale for 2 days in April). Other fresh additions to the list include New Pokemon Snap at #3 and NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139… at #5. Meanwhile, Outriders stayed surprisingly strong at #4 and the inventive It Takes Two scrambled into the top 10 after missing the charts in March.

　　Here are April’s top 20 games according to NPD:

　　MLB The Show 21Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold WarNew Pokemon SnapOutridersNieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139…Mortal Kombat 11Monster Hunter RiseReturnalIt Takes TwoMario Kart 8 DeluxeCall of Duty: Modern WarfareSpider-Man: Miles MoralesSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryMinecraftAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsSuper Mario 3D All-StarsSuper Smash Bros. UltimateAssassin's Creed ValhallaPokemon Sword & ShieldThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildAnd here are the top-10 best-selling games of 2021 thus far:

　　Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold WarSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryMLB the Show 21Monster Hunter RiseSpider-Man: Miles MoralesOutridersAssassin's Creed ValhallaMario Kart 8 DeluxeMinecraftAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsAn interesting month – I wonder what kind of legs both MLB the Show 21 and Returnal will end up having for Sony. What games did you pick up in April?