NPD October 2018

Here are the numbers for October 2018:
Total: $1,545 million (up 73% percent from $894 million in October 2017)
Hardware: $300 million (up 26% from $238 million)
PC and console software: $965 million (up 104% compared to $473 million)
Accessories: $280 million (up 54 percent from $182 million)
The $1.55 billion in October 2018 dollar sales represents the highest total spend for a month of October since The NPD Group began tracking the industry in 1995. The previous high was $1.36 billion reached in October 2008.

Year-to-date spending across video game Hardware, Software, Accessories and Game Cards has grown 21 percent when compared to the same period a year ago, to $10.5 billion. This is the highest year-to-date total spend achieved since the $10.9 billion achieved between January and October 2010.

SOFTWARE

Best October for software ever: Dollar sales of Console, Portable and PC Games Software totalled $965 million in October 2018, more than doubling compared to a year ago. This represents an all-time high for PC & Video Games Software spending in an October month. The previous best of $743 million was reached in October 2008.

Black Ops IIII tops the chart: Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII is the best-selling game of October. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII launch month dollar sales represent the 8th highest in Video Game history since The NPD Group began tracking in 1995. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII instantly becomes the best-selling game of the year, and the 2nd best-selling game across the past twelve month period, trailing only Call of Duty: WWII.

Red Dead Redemption 2 sales 3x the original: With just nine days of reported sales, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the second best-selling game of October 2018 and is now also the second best-selling game year to date. Red Dead Redemption 2 launch month sales more than tripled those of the previous title in the series, Red Dead Redemption, which launched May 2010.

AC Odyssey continues to find success: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey repeated its September success, again ranking as the third best-selling game of the month. In September, the game had double-digit percentage dollar sales growth when compared to the launch of Assassin's Creed: Origins a year ago.

Super Mario party is the third fastest selling Mario Party game: Super Mario Party climbs the charts this month to rank fifth in October sales after its September debut placed it at number nine in the rankings. Over each title's first two months in market, Super Mario Party is now the third fastest selling Mario Party game in history, trailing only Mario Party and Mario Party 8.

Soul Calibur VI debuts at #6: Soul Calibur VI debuts as the sixth best-selling game of October. Soul Calibur VI achieved the third highest launch month dollar sales for the franchise in tracked history, trailing only Soul Calibur IV and Soul Calibur II.

Activision and Take Two are the top publishers this year: Activision Blizzard was the highest revenue generating publisher for the month of October, while Take-Two Interactive has achieved the highest total revenue year to date.

HARDWARE & ACCESSORIES

Hardware spend is up YTD: For the 2018 year-to-date period, hardware spending has increased 19 percent, to $2.7 billion. Spending gains for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Plug N Play devices such as the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition continue to drive growth.

PS4 was the top selling console in October: PlayStation 4 was October's best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollars sold. PlayStation 4 hardware unit sales achieved an all-time October high for the platform, while PlayStation 4 hardware dollar sales reached its highest point for an October month since October 2014. October 2018 unit sales of PlayStation 4 reached the highest mark for any PlayStation hardware platform in an October month since the PlayStation 2 in October 2002.

Accessories spend reaches an all time high: Total spending on Accessories and Game Cards grew 54 percent in October 2018 when compared to a year ago, to an all-time high of $280 million. Year-to-date, Accessories and Game Card spending has grown 35 percent when compared to a year ago, to $3 billion. This is also an all-time high, besting the $2.2 billion generated in the 2017 year-to-date period.

Headset and Headphones get a boost: Consumer spending on Headsets & Headphones doubled in October when compared to a year ago, while Gamepad spending increased 63 percent. Turtle Beach was October's leading manufacturer of Headsets & Headphones, while Sony ranked as the best-selling manufacturer of Gamepads.

RANKINGS (OCTOBER 2018)
Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel, ranked on dollar sales
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
Red Dead Redemption II
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
NBA 2K19
Super Mario Party*
Soul Calibur VI
FIFA 19^
Marvel's Spider-Man
Madden NFL 19^
WWE 2K19
Forza Horizon 4
Lego DC Super Villains
My Hero One's Justice
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Mario Kart 8*
Grand Theft Auto V
Super Mario Odyssey*
Diablo III*
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
NHL 19
* Digital sales not included
^ PC digital sales not included

All Platforms YTD
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
Red Dead Redemption II
Far Cry 5
Marvel's Spider-Man
NBA 2K19
God of War 2018
Monster Hunter: World
Madden NFL 19^
Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: WWII^

PS4
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
Red Dead Redemption II
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Marvel's Spider-Man
Soul Calibur VI
NBA 2K19
FIFA 19
WWE 2K19
Madden NFL 19
My Hero One's Justice

Xbox One
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
Red Dead Redemption II
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Forza Horizon 4
NBA 2K19
Madden NFL 19
FIFA 19
WWE 2K19
Soul Calibur VI
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

Switch
Super Mario Party
Mario Kart 8
Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Diablo III
Starlink: Battle For Atlas
Dark Souls Remastered
The World Ends with You: Final Remix
Lego DC Super Villains
My Hero One's Justice