The NPD Group have released their full North American sales data for May 2019, and for the first time in quite a while, spending dropped year-on-year. Consumers spent $641 million on games and hardware, down 11 percent from May 2018. Hardware was down 20 percent, while software was down 13 percent.

　　On the hardware front, the Switch continued it’s 2019 winning ways, but unlike past months, Nintendo’s success wasn’t enough to salvage the month as Xbox One and PS4 sales continue to slump hard. For the second straight month the NPD software charts were topped by Mortal Kombat 11, followed by the PS4-exclusive Days Gone. New May releases are a mixed bag – Total War: Three Kingdoms debuted fairly well for a PC exclusive at #3, but Rage 2 (#4) and Team Sonic Racing (#19) fell short of expectations.

　　Here are May’s top-20 games according to NPD:

　　Mortal Kombat 11Days GoneTotal War: Three KingdomsRage 2Grand Theft Auto VSuper Smash Bros. UltimateRed Dead Redemption IIMLB 19: The ShowMinecraftNBA 2K19Mario Kart 8Tom Clancy’s The Division 2Call of Duty: Black Ops 4New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeMarvel’s Spider-ManThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: SiegeAssassin’s Creed: OdysseyTeam Sonic RacingYoshi’s Crafted WorldAnd here are the NPD best-sellers of 2019 so far:

　　Mortal Kombat 11Kingdom Hearts IIITom Clancy's The Division 2AnthemResident Evil 2Super Smash Bros. UltimateRed Dead Redemption IIDays GoneMLB 19: The ShowSekiro: Shadows Die TwiceNot exactly a banner month for the industry, but things should pick up as we roll into an unusually-busy summer featuring games like Super Mario Maker 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Control, Astral Chain, and more.

　　What games did you pick up last month? Anything about the May NPD numbers surprise you?