Although Marvel's Wolverine received mixed reviews, it became the best-selling new game in the US in September, giving Sony its strongest launch revenues since Helldivers 2.

Background: A mid-month launch meets a crowded September

Marvel's Wolverine entered the US market exactly halfway through September, and its arrival came from Insomniac, the studio behind Marvel's Spider-Man. The action-adventure title did not receive the strongest critical reception, but the sales record reported by market analysis firm Circana shows that review reception alone did not prevent it from topping US video game sales.

Circana's September snapshot covered digital sales and retail sales, so the ranking is not limited to physical stores. For readers, the key point is timing: a game that reaches stores only partway into a month normally has a shorter sales window than a full-month title, yet Wolverine finished first.

Development process: Launch performance and console sales follow

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella wrote that Marvel's Wolverine delivered "the highest launch month dollar sales" a Sony-published game has seen since Helldivers 2, which released in February 2024. The comparison needs context: Helldivers 2 launched on PC alongside PlayStation 5, while Marvel's Wolverine is a PS5 exclusive. Helldivers 2 also had a much lower price of $40 compared with Wolverine's $70, meaning Helldivers 2 sold more copies to reach a similar dollar-sales point.

The console side also moved. Circana reported that PS5 dollar sales saw a massive 43 percent uptick compared with the same period last year, though some of that increase is tied to PS5's higher price now compared with then. In September, PS5 led the month in both unit sales and dollar sales across consoles. PS5 unit sales were up 22 percent from last year.

The other consoles did not match that pace. Switch 2 unit sales fell by 14 percent. Xbox unit sales fell by 27 percent. Circana said that means Xbox unit sales dropped to their lowest ever in a September, claiming the record from September 2025.

Latest progress: Eight new games enter the top ten while NBA 2K27 takes the year-to-date lead

September was one of the busiest months for games this year, and the top ten reflected that pressure. Circana's top-ten list included eight new releases, among them The Blood of Dawnwalker, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the Switch 2-exclusive Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and the PC-exclusive Wardogs.

The most notable year-to-date shift in the same period came from NBA 2K27. It did not claim the top spot for September, but it surprisingly managed to dethrone Resident Evil Requiem to become the best-selling game of the year so far. That title may be temporary because GTA 6 is on the horizon.

Current stage: Sony-led momentum before a major fall calendar

The September data shows a market phase where a PS5-exclusive, mid-month release can still reset the top of the charts, while console sales are being shaped by both new games and price changes. Marvel's Wolverine's launch month dollar sales, PS5's 43 percent dollar-sales uptick, and Xbox's record low for a September together outline the month's competitive structure.

Circana's most interesting report this year is undoubtedly going to be November's, when GTA 6 arrives. October's report should also be eye-opening because it is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's release month, the other major release of 2026. For now, the September snapshot positions Marvel's Wolverine as the month's commercial breakthrough and NBA 2K27 as the current annual sales leader, with the next major calendar events still ahead.