While the PlayStation 5 has passed the 30 million sales mark (and according to Jim Ryan, president, and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, there will be no more talk of stock shortages), the console failed to take the number one spot in one of the most important markets.

Gamesindustry reported, based on GfK sales data, that the best performer in UK console sales was the Nintendo Switch. However, the hardware sales were down 29% compared to 2021 figures. It can’t be said, however, that the Switch led the year by a street length, as there was no significant difference between the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, which finished second, and the Xbox Series, which took third place on the podium (the difference between the three consoles is less than 60,000 units). The fall was brought about by a shortage of PlayStation 5 units and falling demand for the Switch. (The Switch has already surpassed the PlayStation 4’s overall sales, so it’s fair to say that the market is narrowing for new buyers.)

There’s also a slight drop in game sales, with a total of 34.2 million games bought in the UK (but it should be added here that it only takes into account in-store, disc copies, and digital sales provided by most known publishers so that the figures may be somewhat skewed). Not bad at first reading, but still a drop of around 6%. There is a surprise at the top of the list, too.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II didn’t take the year, but Activision Blizzard’s game still took second place. At the top of the list is Electronic Arts’ last FIFA game, FIFA 23, but given the UK’s love of football, it’s no wonder it was in such high demand. Third on the podium was LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. They were followed by Elden Ring, Grand Theft Auto V, God of War: Ragnarök, FIFA 22, Horizon Forbidden West, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Nintendo Switch Sports.

Finally, another decrease compared to 2021: 9.2 million accessories (controllers, cases, headsets) were sold, 13% less than a year earlier. The white DualSense controller led the way, ahead of the black version.

Source: VGC