Circana is the leading source for tracking sales in the U.S., and I’m particularly interested in how predictions for online sales change the overall numbers.
Most publishers readily share their data with analytics companies, but Nintendo is a notable exception, preferring to keep its information confidential. This significantly impacts the accuracy of industry reports, particularly now that digital sales are so important.
This April report combines actual digital sales numbers from publishers with estimates for those who don’t share their data. As a result, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream appears as the top-selling game, but this is based on confirmed physical sales only – the digital sales figures are an estimate.
So, it looks like we’re only getting a top ten list this time. Apparently, according to analyst Mat Piscatella, the games ranked lower down were so close in sales that the numbers might not be totally accurate – they could be within the margin of error. He thinks it’s better to just focus on the top ten to make sure we’re seeing really solid, reliable data, which makes sense to me!
I’m not sure how I feel about this.
Circana clearly understands the industry very well, which gives them a solid advantage. However, combining official data with estimates doesn’t seem like the right approach.
It’s also clear that when publishers like Nintendo don’t share data, it significantly impacts the findings, so I’m not sure what the ideal approach would be.
Okay, so Saros’ first week sales at number nine aren’t as strong as I’d hoped, and that’s including both physical copies and digital downloads. It’s not a bad showing, honestly, but the charts are based on how much money a game makes, and Saros is a $70 title, which definitely helps. Plus, these numbers cover sales up to May 2nd, so it does include a few days after the game actually came out.
As a big fan, I’ve heard Alinea sold around 300,000 copies globally, and honestly, seeing it on the charts feels a little off. I think a lot of people will jump in and play it right away, then move on, so I’m not expecting it to stick around in the top sellers for May.
Starfield saw a significant boost in popularity after becoming available on PlayStation 5, climbing over 200 spots in the rankings compared to last month. This is a surprisingly good result, especially considering the game has been out for a while and hasn’t received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Not surprisingly, the Switch 2 sold more units and generated more revenue than the PS5, likely due to recent price hikes affecting the PS5.
Even though Sony has faced some tough times recently, the PlayStation 5 is still selling 2% better than the PlayStation 4 was at this point in its launch. That’s a really impressive achievement considering its price and the current economic difficulties.
USA Software Sales Top 10: April 2026
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream*
- Pragmata^
- Crimson Desert*
- MLB The Show 26*^
- Windrose*
- Pokemon Pokopia*
- Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2*
- Starfield^
- Saros^
- Mario Kart World*
USA Software Sales Top 10: 2026 Year-to-Date
- Resident Evil: Requiem^
- Crimson Desert*
- MLB The Show 26*^
- Pokemon Pokopia*
- WWE 2K26^
- NBA 2K26^
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7^
- Arc Raiders*
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream*
- Minecraft*^
* Projected digital sales
* Actual digital sales
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2026-05-20 18:37