Franchises like MLB: The Show and Pokemon headline March sales | Circana
March was a win for many established video game franchises, according to industry-tracking firm Circana. Pokemon, MLB: The Show, WWE 2K and Monster Hunter all posted new games on the U.S. bestseller list for the month. Crimson Desert also carried the banner for new IP, also making it onto the charts.March 2026 Dollar Sales, MillionsMar2025Mar2026ChangeTotal Video Game Sales (Projected to Total Market)$4,755$5,39412%Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)$4,219$4,5518%Video Game Hardware$297$50069%Video Game Accessories$239$2525% *Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower. “US projected total market video game spending reached $5.3 billion in March 2026, a 12% increase when compared to March 2025,” said Mat Piscatella, Circana’s senior director of video game reports. “First quarter spending grew 5% when compared to a year ago, to $14.6 billion.” Circana noted a sharp increase in many segments of the market, including a 40% increase year-over-year in digital premium downloads on console and a 20% increase in non-mobile subscription content spending. Hardware spending is the biggest obvious increase, jumping 69% from the previous year.Year-to-Date 2026 Dollar Sales, MillionsYTD2025YTD2026ChangeTotal Video Game Sales (Projected to Total Market)$13,832$14,5595%Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)$12,401$12,8333%Video Game Hardware$777$1,07438%Video Game Accessories$654$6530% *Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower. The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling hardware unit for both March and 2026 overall, according to Circana. Accessories spending is also up, with cases and organizers selling 180% better this year than they did last March.Circana March 2026 | Top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.RankLastMonthRankTitlePublisher1NEWMLB: The Show 26^^Multiple Video Game Publishers21Resident Evil: RequiemCapcom USA3NEWWWE 2K26Take-Two Interactive4NEWMarathon (2026)Sony (Corp)5NEWPokémon: Pokopia*Nintendo63Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Microsoft (Corp)7NEWMonster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted ReflectionCapcom USA82NBA 2K26Take-Two Interactive94Minecraft^Multiple Video Game Publishers106EA Sports FC 26Electronic Arts1110Grand Theft Auto VTake-Two Interactive127Battlefield 6Electronic Arts1312Red Dead Redemption IITake-Two Interactive1415Ghost of YoteiSony (Corp)15NEWCrimson Desert*Pearl Abyss165Helldivers IISony (Corp)17165Death Stranding 2: On the BeachSony (Corp)1819Pokémon Legends: Z-A*Nintendo1975Mario Kart World*Nintendo208Madden NFL 26Electronic Arts *Digital sales not included for marked titles.^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included. As stated above, franchises dominate the sales charts in March, with MLB: The Show’s and WWE 2K’s 2026 entries taking two out of the three top spots. Resident Evil: Requiem, another entry in a legendary series, remains near the top of the chart. Speaking of Capcom franchises, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection joined the list as well. Pokemon is the other major franchise to make splash in March, with Pokopia joining Legends: Z-A on the charts. Pokopia is one of the newest Switch 2 games, with its current popularity possibly being responsible for the good sales of hardware from Nintendo.Other winners on March’s chart In addition to the established franchises that have made the charts in March, Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert is a new IP to join the charts. Considering digital sales aren’t tracked for the title, it’s likely to be even higher up the charts if you take those into account. It made ninth place on the PlayStation bestseller chart as well. Bungie’s Marathon is not a new game, per se, but it is the first new entry in the series since 1996. Given that it’s likely the first Marathon game for many players, it probably got so high on the charts thanks to goodwill from Bungie’s previous titles. It also made the bestseller charts specific to PC, Xbox and PlayStation. Death Stranding 2 and Mario Kart World also made unexpected jumps onto the bestseller chart, from positions 165 and 75, respectively. Death Stranding 2’s position is due to its launch on PC on March 16. Mario Kart World’s boost is likely due to a rare sale on Woot and Amazon.Circana March 2026 |20 best-selling games of 2026 so farRankLastMonthRankTitlePublisher11Resident Evil: RequiemCapcom USA2NEWMLB: The Show 26^^Multiple Video Game Publishers3NEWWWE 2K26Take-Two Interactive42NBA 2K26Take-Two Interactive53Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Microsoft (Corp)6NEWMarathon (2026)Sony (Corp)75Minecraft^Multiple Video Game Publishers86EA Sports FC 26Electronic Arts97Battlefield 6Electronic Arts104Madden NFL 26Electronic Arts118Grand Theft Auto VTake-Two Interactive12NEWPokémon: Pokopia*Nintendo139Red Dead Redemption IITake-Two Interac
March was a win for many established video game franchises, according to industry-tracking firm Circana. Pokemon, MLB: The Show, WWE 2K and Monster Hunter all posted new games on the U.S. bestseller list for the month. Crimson Desert also carried the banner for new IP, also making it onto the charts.
*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower. “US projected total market video game spending reached $5.3 billion in March 2026, a 12% increase when compared to March 2025,” said Mat Piscatella, Circana’s senior director of video game reports. “First quarter spending grew 5% when compared to a year ago, to $14.6 billion.”
Circana noted a sharp increase in many segments of the market, including a 40% increase year-over-year in digital premium downloads on console and a 20% increase in non-mobile subscription content spending. Hardware spending is the biggest obvious increase, jumping 69% from the previous year.
*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower. The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling hardware unit for both March and 2026 overall, according to Circana. Accessories spending is also up, with cases and organizers selling 180% better this year than they did last March.
*Digital sales not included for marked titles.
^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.
^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included. As stated above, franchises dominate the sales charts in March, with MLB: The Show’s and WWE 2K’s 2026 entries taking two out of the three top spots. Resident Evil: Requiem, another entry in a legendary series, remains near the top of the chart. Speaking of Capcom franchises, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection joined the list as well.
Pokemon is the other major franchise to make splash in March, with Pokopia joining Legends: Z-A on the charts. Pokopia is one of the newest Switch 2 games, with its current popularity possibly being responsible for the good sales of hardware from Nintendo.
Bungie’s Marathon is not a new game, per se, but it is the first new entry in the series since 1996. Given that it’s likely the first Marathon game for many players, it probably got so high on the charts thanks to goodwill from Bungie’s previous titles. It also made the bestseller charts specific to PC, Xbox and PlayStation.
Death Stranding 2 and Mario Kart World also made unexpected jumps onto the bestseller chart, from positions 165 and 75, respectively. Death Stranding 2’s position is due to its launch on PC on March 16. Mario Kart World’s boost is likely due to a rare sale on Woot and Amazon.
*Digital sales not included for marked titles.
^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.
^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included. Resident Evil Requiem continues to hold the top spot on the year-to-date bestseller chart, with five of March’s launches joining it. MLB: The Show and WWE 2K entries are frequently on the first-quarter year-to-date chart, with their placements on the 2026 being similar to their predecessors on the March 2025 chart.
The post Franchises like MLB: The Show and Pokemon headline March sales | Circana appeared first on GamesBeat.
March 2026 Dollar Sales, Millions
Mar
2025
2025
Mar
2026
2026
Change
Total Video Game Sales (Projected to Total Market)
$4,755
$5,394
12%
Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)
$4,219
$4,551
8%
Video Game Hardware
$297
$500
69%
Video Game Accessories
$239
$252
5%
Circana noted a sharp increase in many segments of the market, including a 40% increase year-over-year in digital premium downloads on console and a 20% increase in non-mobile subscription content spending. Hardware spending is the biggest obvious increase, jumping 69% from the previous year.
Year-to-Date 2026 Dollar Sales, Millions
YTD
2025
2025
YTD
2026
2026
Change
Total Video Game Sales (Projected to Total Market)
$13,832
$14,559
5%
Video Game Content (Physical & Digital Full Game, DLC/MTX and Subscription consumer spending across Console, Cloud, Mobile*, Portable, PC and VR platforms)
$12,401
$12,833
3%
Video Game Hardware
$777
$1,074
38%
Video Game Accessories
$654
$653
0%
Circana March 2026 | Top 20 best-selling games in the U.S.
Rank
Last
Month
Rank
Month
Rank
Title
Publisher
1
NEW
MLB: The Show 26^^
Multiple Video Game Publishers
2
1
Resident Evil: Requiem
Capcom USA
3
NEW
WWE 2K26
Take-Two Interactive
4
NEW
Marathon (2026)
Sony (Corp)
5
NEW
Pokémon: Pokopia*
Nintendo
6
3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Microsoft (Corp)
7
NEW
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Capcom USA
8
2
NBA 2K26
Take-Two Interactive
9
4
Minecraft^
Multiple Video Game Publishers
10
6
EA Sports FC 26
Electronic Arts
11
10
Grand Theft Auto V
Take-Two Interactive
12
7
Battlefield 6
Electronic Arts
13
12
Red Dead Redemption II
Take-Two Interactive
14
15
Ghost of Yotei
Sony (Corp)
15
NEW
Crimson Desert*
Pearl Abyss
16
5
Helldivers II
Sony (Corp)
17
165
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Sony (Corp)
18
19
Pokémon Legends: Z-A*
Nintendo
19
75
Mario Kart World*
Nintendo
20
8
Madden NFL 26
Electronic Arts
^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.
^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included. As stated above, franchises dominate the sales charts in March, with MLB: The Show’s and WWE 2K’s 2026 entries taking two out of the three top spots. Resident Evil: Requiem, another entry in a legendary series, remains near the top of the chart. Speaking of Capcom franchises, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection joined the list as well.
Pokemon is the other major franchise to make splash in March, with Pokopia joining Legends: Z-A on the charts. Pokopia is one of the newest Switch 2 games, with its current popularity possibly being responsible for the good sales of hardware from Nintendo.
Other winners on March’s chart
In addition to the established franchises that have made the charts in March, Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert is a new IP to join the charts. Considering digital sales aren’t tracked for the title, it’s likely to be even higher up the charts if you take those into account. It made ninth place on the PlayStation bestseller chart as well.Bungie’s Marathon is not a new game, per se, but it is the first new entry in the series since 1996. Given that it’s likely the first Marathon game for many players, it probably got so high on the charts thanks to goodwill from Bungie’s previous titles. It also made the bestseller charts specific to PC, Xbox and PlayStation.
Death Stranding 2 and Mario Kart World also made unexpected jumps onto the bestseller chart, from positions 165 and 75, respectively. Death Stranding 2’s position is due to its launch on PC on March 16. Mario Kart World’s boost is likely due to a rare sale on Woot and Amazon.
Circana March 2026 |20 best-selling games of 2026 so far
Rank
Last
Month
Rank
Month
Rank
Title
Publisher
1
1
Resident Evil: Requiem
Capcom USA
2
NEW
MLB: The Show 26^^
Multiple Video Game Publishers
3
NEW
WWE 2K26
Take-Two Interactive
4
2
NBA 2K26
Take-Two Interactive
5
3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Microsoft (Corp)
6
NEW
Marathon (2026)
Sony (Corp)
7
5
Minecraft^
Multiple Video Game Publishers
8
6
EA Sports FC 26
Electronic Arts
9
7
Battlefield 6
Electronic Arts
10
4
Madden NFL 26
Electronic Arts
11
8
Grand Theft Auto V
Take-Two Interactive
12
NEW
Pokémon: Pokopia*
Nintendo
13
9
Red Dead Redemption II
Take-Two Interactive
14
10
Helldivers II
Sony (Corp)
15
NEW
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Capcom USA
16
13
Ghost of Yotei
Sony (Corp)
17
11
Forza Horizon 5
Microsoft (Corp)
18
16
Pokémon Legends: Z-A*
Nintendo
19
21
Elden Ring
Bandai Namco Entertainment
20
19
Split Fiction
Electronic Arts
^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.
^^Digital sales on Xbox and Nintendo platforms not included. Resident Evil Requiem continues to hold the top spot on the year-to-date bestseller chart, with five of March’s launches joining it. MLB: The Show and WWE 2K entries are frequently on the first-quarter year-to-date chart, with their placements on the 2026 being similar to their predecessors on the March 2025 chart.
The post Franchises like MLB: The Show and Pokemon headline March sales | Circana appeared first on GamesBeat.
Jat AI
Stay informed with the latest in artificial intelligence. Jat AI News Portal is your go-to source for AI trends, breakthroughs, and industry analysis. Connect with the community of technologists and business professionals shaping the future.
![KAIZEN Locations & Map Guide – Boss, Chest, Weapon, Style [KASHIMO]](https://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/kaizen-locations-and-map-guide.jpg)
