EA Sports FC 24 and GTA 5 Top European Charts: May 2024

The European video game market experienced a significant downturn in May 2024, with total console and PC game sales reaching 11.6 million units. This figure represents a nearly 17% decline compared to the same five-week period in 2023. The primary driver for this contraction is the absence of major software releases comparable to the previous year, specifically the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which alone outperformed the entire top ten list of May 2024.

EA Sports FC 24 secured the top position in the monthly charts, followed by Grand Theft Auto 5. F1 24 debuted at number three, though its launch performance was 35% lower than its predecessor. Other notable entries included Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut at number four, bolstered by its PC release, and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door at number five. Hardware sales also faced a sharp decline, dropping 40% year-on-year, with the Nintendo Switch experiencing the most substantial impact due to difficult comparisons against the high-profile hardware and software activity observed in May 2023.

The analysis utilizes GSD figures, which aggregate digital sales from major publishers—excluding Nintendo—and physical retail data across key European markets. The scope of the data covers a broad range of European countries, with specific regional variations for hardware and accessory tracking. Beyond software and hardware, accessory sales also saw a 25% decrease, although the DualSense controller remained a notable exception with year-on-year growth. Overall, the market performance reflects a challenging period characterized by a lack of blockbuster titles to sustain the high consumer spending levels seen in the prior year.