NBA 2K27 from Visual Concepts and 2K Games claimed the top spot on the US software rankings for the four-week Circana tracking period ending August 29, becoming the third-best-selling game of 2026 in the process.

Released into early access on August 26, NBA 2K27 reached No. 1 in just four days of tracked sales, according to Circana data circulated this week. The result comes days after publisher Take-Two confirmed NBA 2K25 will be delisted from storefronts at the end of September, with online servers scheduled to go offline December 31, 2026.

What did the August top 10 look like?

New releases dominated the rankings. Madden NFL 27 from EA Tiburon debuted at No. 2. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls opened at No. 3. EA's Kickoff bundle — combining the standard editions of Madden NFL 27 and EA Sports College Football 27 — landed at No. 4. Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars: Zero Company took fifth.

Six new titles entered the top 10 in total. Halo: Campaign Evolved held sixth, while FromSoftware's Elden Ring surged 34 places to No. 7 after the Nintendo Switch 2 port shipped August 28. Hello Games' Big Walk debuted at No. 8. Mario Kart World and Splatoon Raiders rounded out the chart.

How did hardware perform?

Console hardware fell to its weakest August since 2013. Unit sales dropped 15% year-on-year to 559,000, Circana reported. The figure sits well below the 423,000 posted in August 2013.

Xbox led the decline, sliding 31% to its lowest August total since 2020. PlayStation hardware fell 11% to its worst August since 2013. Nintendo sales dropped 15%.

Spending did not follow units down at the same pace. Overall hardware revenue declined just 3% to $302 million, held up by a 17% year-on-year rise in PlayStation 5 sales. Xbox Series and Switch 2 hardware spending each dropped 13%. The average price of a new gaming device hit an August record of $541, up from the prior $476 mark set in August 2025.

What happened with content and mobile spending?

Total US consumer spend on video games fell 9% to $4.3 billion. Circana attributed most of the decline to an 18% drop in mobile revenue.

Content sales fell 10% to $3.8 billion, down from $4.1 billion in August 2025. Console content dropped 7% year-on-year. Subscription spending grew 3%. PC content rose 13%.

Monopoly Go, Royal Match, and Candy Crush Saga climbed into the top three mobile positions for August. Pokémon Go slid four places to No. 7 after its 10th anniversary event window closed. AppMagic estimated the celebration generated $48.5 million.

Where did physical sales buck the trend?

Year-to-date spending on new physical software rose 5% to $738 million. Game-Key Card releases led the category, with spending up 631%, offsetting a 3% drop across other physical media.

What's worth watching next?

Take-Two's NBA 2K25 delisting deadline at the end of September will test whether server shutdowns and storefront removal push buyers into NBA 2K27's live-service economy or simply trim the install base. Circana's September read will offer the first hard data on how that transition lands for sports-game retention models.