The NPD Group has released their full North American sales data for June 2021, and it was a solid month overall, with players spending $4.9 billion on games, additional content, and hardware, representing a year-on-year increase of 5 percent. On the hardware front, the big surprise was the Xbox Series X/S – if you count the two consoles together as a platform, they were #1 in June in terms of dollar sales (the Switch still sold more units). What spurred this isn’t entirely clear, but it seems Microsoft may finally getting a decent flow of Xbox Series units onto shelves.

　　On the software front, it was Sony’s month, as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart nabbed the top spot. Other new additions to the list include Mario Golf: Super Rush at #3 and Scarlet Nexus at #5. Meanwhile, last month’s #1 game, Resident Evil Village, dropped to #6 and the now-multiplatform MLB The Show 21 held surprisingly strong at #4.

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

　　Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarMario Golf: Super RushMLB The Show 21Scarlet NexusResident Evil VillageMario Kart 8 DeluxeMinecraftSpier-Man: Miles MoralesMortal Kombat 11Animal Crossing: New HorizonsCall of Duty: Modern WarfareSuper Smash Bros. UltimateAssassin's Creed ValhallaSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryMass Effect: Legendary EditionTony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildPokemon Sword & ShieldSea of ThievesAnd here are the top-10 best-selling games of 2021 thus far:

　　Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarResident Evil VillageMLB The Show 21Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's FurySpider-Man: Miles MoralesMonster Hunter RiseMario Kart 8 DeluxeAssassin's Creed ValhallaOutridersMinecraftIt seems like we may actually have a real horserace developing between Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen consoles. Can Xbox Series X/S rack up some more wins while the PS5 is supply constrained? We shall see.