Circana published official US video game market results for May 2023, revealing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was the best-selling game for the month. The incredible sales moment pushed sales of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild nearly seven years after its launch alongside Nintendo Switch.
According to Circana executive director Mat Piscatella, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom instantly became the second best-selling game of 2023. May 2023’s best-selling title managed to reach this status with only physical copies being accounted for. It’s possible that the Nintendo Switch title may be the best-selling game of the year if digital copies were accounted for. Moreover, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Series 1 Amiibo Character Pack led accessory unit sales for the month.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Sales Impact
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild returned in the top 20 best-sellers list for May 2023, placing 13th behind the evergreen Minecraft. In April 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was in 28th place. The incredible sales momentum of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom spiked sales of the prequel and the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of May 2023 in both units and dollar sales. Consumer spending for May reached a new all-time high for Nintendo Switch, and unit sales were the second highest for a May month in the Switch’s seven year history. PlayStation 5 continues to lead unit and dollar sales for 2023, but the console placed in second in May 2023.
“Switch was the best-selling hardware platform in both unit and dollar sales during May 2023, said Mat Piscatella on Twitter. “Consumer spending on Switch hardware reached an all-time May high for the platform, while unit sales were 2nd highest ever for the platform in a May month, trailing only May 2020.”
