Marvel's Wolverine tops best-selling games September 2026

Key takeaways

• Marvel's Wolverine was the best-selling game in the United States in September 2026 on dollar sales, according to Circana data shared by analyst Mat Piscatella on October 22.
• NBA 2K27 fell to second place and EA Sports FC 27 debuted third; eight of the top 10 titles were new releases.
• Circana says Wolverine posted the highest launch-month dollar sales for a Sony-published game since Helldivers 2 in February 2024.
• PlayStation 5 hardware dollar sales rose 43% year on year, giving Sony its highest monthly hardware dollar share since May 2025.
• Total US video game spending slipped 1% to $4.76 billion. Sony has not released official unit sales for Wolverine.

Circana's chart of best-selling games September 2026 in the US is led by Insomniac Games' PS5 exclusive Marvel's Wolverine, which finished ahead of NBA 2K27 and EA Sports FC 27 despite launching on September 15, roughly halfway through the August 30 to October 3 period.

The ranking measures full-game dollar sales across physical and digital formats, not units sold. Circana's director of video games, Mat Piscatella, published the results on October 22, and they were picked up by GamesBeat, WellPlayed and other outlets the same day.

Best-selling games of September 2026 in the US: the top 10

Eight new releases entered the top 10, which is unusually high churn for a single month. Only two holdovers from August stayed in: NBA 2K27, which had been number one, and Madden NFL 27, which dropped from second to tenth.

Source: Circana US monthly chart, tracking period August 30 to October 3, 2026, ranked by dollar sales, as published by GamesBeat on October 22, 2026. Some titles, including both EA Sports games and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, rely on Circana's digital projections rather than reported digital point-of-sale data.

Wardogs stands out because it is still in early access. GamesBeat notes that Team17 last reported three million units sold for the game. Nintendo's Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave reached fourth despite being available only on Nintendo hardware, and Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword placed seventh in its launch window.

How big was Wolverine's launch?

Circana did not publish a sales figure, but Piscatella gave a benchmark. He said Marvel's Wolverine "delivered the highest launch month dollar sales for a Sony published game since February 2024's Helldivers II."

That comparison needs context. Helldivers 2 launched at $40, while Wolverine sells for $70, according to WellPlayed. A game with a higher price reaches the same dollar total with fewer copies, so the record speaks to revenue, not to how many people bought the game. Sony has not given official unit numbers for Wolverine, and Circana's monthly reports do not include unit counts for individual titles.

The launch also lifted accessories. WellPlayed reports that the Marvel's Wolverine limited edition DualSense controller was the best-selling accessory of the month in both units and dollars.

The US result follows a strong start in Europe. In the UK, GfK retail data showed Wolverine debuting at number one on the physical chart for the week ending September 19, as reported by VGChartz.

PS5 hardware dollar sales up 43%

Wolverine's launch coincided with a jump in PlayStation 5 hardware spending. According to Circana, PS5 dollar sales rose 43% compared with September 2025, and Piscatella said the game helped Sony reach "its highest hardware dollar share in a month since May 2025." PS5 led all platforms for the month.

Other platforms did not share in the gains. GamesBeat, citing Circana, reports that Nintendo Switch 2 hardware dollar sales fell 12% year on year and Xbox Series dollar sales fell 2%. Xbox hardware recorded its lowest September on record in the US, according to both GamesBeat and WellPlayed.

Dollar comparisons can flatter or hide trends. Console prices have risen since 2025, so a dollar increase can partly reflect higher prices rather than more consoles sold. WellPlayed makes the same point about higher PS5 prices affecting year-on-year swings.

US video game spending in September 2026

Despite the hardware boost, overall spending edged down. Lower content spending, which includes full games, add-ons, microtransactions and subscriptions across all platforms, outweighed growth in hardware and accessories.

Source: Circana, projected to the total US market; mobile spending from Sensor Tower. Data as of the October 22, 2026 release, as published by GamesBeat.

Year to date, total US spending stands at $41.04 billion, down 3% from $42.23 billion in the same period of 2025. Hardware is down 9% for the year at $2.91 billion, so September's rise did not reverse the broader decline. GamesBeat also reports that non-mobile subscription spending fell year on year for the first time since February 2024; Circana did not give a reason.

Year-to-date chart: NBA 2K27 takes the lead

On the 2026 year-to-date chart, NBA 2K27 moved from third to first, overtaking Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem. 007 First Light from IO Interactive is third, followed by MLB The Show and Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert. None of September's new releases reached the year-to-date top 10; WellPlayed reports that Wolverine sits 11th for the year so far, after about three weeks on sale.

The GTA 6 run-up

September's results arrive at the start of a busy end of year for the industry. Rockstar Games has set Grand Theft Auto VI for release on November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, a date first announced on its Newswire in November 2025. IGN noted on X on October 24 that the late-2026 lineup is "all leading up to GTA 6 on November 19."

October also brings Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which launched on October 23. Circana's October report, expected in late November, will show whether the PS5 momentum carried into the period before GTA 6. November's report will be the first to include Rockstar's game.

What it means

For Sony, Wolverine is evidence that a big-budget single-player exclusive can still lead the US market and pull console sales with it, at least in dollar terms. The 43% PS5 hardware gain and the record month for the limited edition DualSense suggest the game drew spending beyond the software itself.

For the wider market, the picture is mixed. Total spending fell 1% in September and 3% for the year, Xbox hardware hit a September low, and Switch 2 dollar sales declined. Because Circana reports dollars rather than units, and Sony has not shared unit totals, it is not yet possible to say how many copies Wolverine sold or how it compares with earlier Insomniac launches such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

More PlayStation coverage: the Japan-only Midnight Black PS5 launching November 19, Modern Warfare 4 launch times and platforms, Xbox Cloud playtime prices without Game Pass and what to know about Nintendo Switch Sports Resort.

Sources

• GamesBeat: Marvel's Wolverine tops September sales, drives PS5 numbers up (Circana), October 22, 2026
• WellPlayed: Wolverine tops September US game sales as NBA 2K27 becomes 2026's best seller
• Instant Gaming News: Marvel's Wolverine is the best-selling game of September 2026 in the US
• IGN on X, October 24, 2026
• VGChartz: Marvel's Wolverine and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave debut on the UK retail charts
• Rockstar Games Newswire: Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to launch November 19, 2026