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Circana: Most U.S. Gamers Buy Two or Fewer New Titles Each Year

Strong hardware spending led by Switch 2 contrasts with shrinking per-person game purchases.

Overview

  • Q3 2025 survey data show 63% of U.S. players buy a maximum of two new games annually, including 33% who purchase less than once per year.
  • Purchase frequency skews low: 4% buy more than one game a month, 10% about monthly, 22% quarterly, 18% semiannually, and 12% annually.
  • Circana’s Mat Piscatella says a small, price-insensitive ‘hyper enthusiast’ group is sustaining full-price sales outside free-to-play.
  • Outlets note spending is shifting toward subscriptions and microtransactions, with prior Comscore data indicating 82% of U.S. players made an in-game purchase in the past year.
  • Circana reports 2025 hardware spending up about 20% year to date, with Switch 2 unit sales trending roughly 77% ahead of the original Switch on a time-aligned basis.