Logan clawed his way to the top of the charts. Marvel's Wolverine debuted as the best-selling game in the US for September 2026, and the ripple effect on PlayStation 5 hardware numbers was hard to miss.
The biggest Sony launch since Helldivers II
Circana's September data puts Insomniac's PS5 exclusive at the top of the US sales chart, making it the highest launch-month dollar earner for a Sony-published title since Helldivers II in February 2024. That's a gap of roughly 19 months, which tells you just how much weight this release carried for PlayStation's commercial calendar.
Globally, Wolverine moved around 2.16 million units in September, landing second worldwide behind EA Sports FC 27. In the US specifically, eight of the top ten best-selling games of the month were new releases, suggesting September 2026 was one of the stronger launch windows the industry has seen this year.
How the hardware numbers shifted
PS5 dollar sales climbed 43% year-on-year in September, reaching Sony's highest hardware revenue month since May 2025. Unit sales were up 22% compared to the same period last year. Here's the thing: a single exclusive driving that kind of hardware lift is exactly the argument Sony has been making for years about the value of first-party games.
The contrast with Xbox is stark. Xbox Series unit sales dropped 27% year-on-year, with dollar spending down 2%. Console unit sales for the Xbox ecosystem hit an all-time September low, breaking the previous record that was set just a year prior. Nintendo Switch 2 also pulled back, with unit sales falling 14% and dollar spending down 12%.
| Platform | Unit Sales (YoY) | Dollar Sales (YoY) |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | +22% | +43% |
| Xbox Series | -27% | -2% |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | -14% | -12% |
Total video game hardware unit sales across all platforms fell 3% in September compared to a year ago. The PS5 gains are real, but they're happening against a broader market that's still contracting.
September's full top ten
- Marvel's Wolverine
- NBA 2K27
- EA Sports FC 27
- Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Wardogs
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Halloween: The Game
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
- Madden NFL 27
NBA 2K27 landing at number two is worth flagging. It surpassed Resident Evil: Requiem to become the best-selling game of 2026 year-to-date in the US. The current top five for the full year are NFL 2K27, Resident Evil: Requiem, 007 First Light, MLB: The Show 26, and Crimson Desert.
What this means for Sony heading into Q4
Sony's dollar share of the US video game hardware market hit its highest point since May 2025. That momentum now has to carry through the holiday quarter without a comparable first-party blockbuster already announced for the same window.
For Xbox, the all-time September low is the kind of data point that's hard to spin. The platform has been leaning into Game Pass and multiplatform releases, but the hardware numbers suggest that strategy isn't translating into console sales.
If you want the full picture on Insomniac's take on Logan before diving in, our Marvel's Wolverine review breaks down exactly what the game gets right and where it falls short.
