Wolverine Leads Game Sales as PS5 Sales Jump 22%

WHO:

Push Square - Sony, PlayStation, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, Xbox, Microsoft, Rockstar Games, Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch, IGN, and PlayStation 5 owners are mentioned in the coverage.

Dark Horizons - “Marvel’s Wolverine” was published by Sony and developed by Insomniac Games; Circana supplied the sales data.

WHAT:

Push Square - U.S. PlayStation 5 unit sales rose 22% year over year, the only console to increase sales; the console also recorded its highest share of U.S. industry dollar sales since May 2025.

Push Square - PlayStation 5 dollar sales rose 43% year over year, with an average selling price of $646.

Push Square - Circana data showed Xbox sales fell 27% year over year, reaching their worst September on record; Piscatella said the previous record had been set a year earlier.

Push Square - Piscatella said “Marvel’s Wolverine” was the “primary driver” of the PlayStation 5 sales increase, with “NBA 2K27” and “GTA 6” likely also contributing.

Push Square - “Marvel’s Wolverine” was September’s best-selling game, ahead of “NBA 2K27” and “EA Sports FC 27”; it had already reached No. 11 among the year’s best-selling games.

Push Square - “Marvel’s Wolverine” received a 75 Metacritic score. The article says its review embargo lifted hours after news about the cancellation of “Physint.”

Push Square - Circana data showed the PS5-owner “blackout” protest made “no significant change” to U.S. player counts. In a Push Square poll, 45% said they would join the protest; in a follow-up survey, 66% said they used their console as usual.

Push Square - Cyabra found that almost half of negative sentiment on Sony’s official social-media channels related to the “No Disc No Buy” movement came from fake accounts.

Dark Horizons - “Marvel’s Wolverine” was the best-selling game in the United States for September and had the highest launch-month U.S. dollar sales of a Sony-published game since “Helldivers II.”

Dark Horizons - Globally, “Wolverine” ranked second among PS5 games for September, behind “EA Sports FC 27,” despite being available for only half the month.

Dark Horizons - Eight of September’s top ten best-selling games were new releases. “NBA 2K27” surpassed “Resident Evil: Requiem” as the best-selling U.S. game of 2026 year-to-date; “007 First Light,” “MLB: The Show 26,” and “Crimson Desert” ranked third through fifth.

Dark Horizons - September hardware unit sales fell 3% overall year over year; PS5 sales rose 22%, Switch 2 sales fell 14%, and Xbox Series sales fell 27%. Xbox console unit sales were at an all-time low.

WHERE:

Push Square - The console and game sales figures discussed include U.S. sales.

Dark Horizons - The game-sales chart covers the United States; the article also reports global PS5 game rankings.

WHY:

Push Square - Piscatella attributed much of the PS5 sales increase to “Marvel’s Wolverine,” with “NBA 2K27” and “GTA 6” also likely playing roles.

HOW:

Dark Horizons - Circana’s game-sales figures included physical and digital copies.

(UPDATED October 25, 2026 22:01 UTC)

U.S. PlayStation 5 sales climbed in September, while Xbox sales plunged to a record low, according to Circana. PS5 unit sales rose 22% year over year, and dollar sales were up 43%, with an average selling price of $646. Xbox sales fell 27%, marking its worst September on record; overall console sales were down 3%. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella said “Marvel’s Wolverine” was the primary driver of the PS5 increase, with “NBA 2K27” and “GTA 6” likely contributing as well. Wolverine topped the U.S. game-sales chart, ahead of “NBA 2K27” and “EA Sports FC 27,” and ranked second among PS5 games worldwide despite being available for only half the month. Eight of the U.S. top ten games were new releases. “NBA 2K27” also moved ahead of “Resident Evil: Requiem” as the best-selling game in the U.S. so far this year. Circana’s figures included physical and digital sales.