Xbox Series X/S topples Switch sales in record-setting June

By Emily Morrow July 16, 2021

The Xbox Series X/S was the top-selling console platform in the United States in June, based on dollar sales tracked by NPD and reported by VentureBeat. Last month was the most successful June ever for Xbox, breaking a previous dollar sales record set in 2011. Many are speculating that the surge in sales is due to Microsoft’s strong showing at E3 2021.

Gaming hardware has seen a dramatic increase in sales over the past year, with a 112% increase in sales across the Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Despite the proliferation of COVID-19 vaccines allowing for a return to a version of normalcy and numerous hardware shortages due to manufacturing issues, console sales continue to do extremely well.

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For the first half of 2021, the Nintendo Switch was the overall best-selling unit in both dollar sales and units, and it remained the top seller in units in June. The PlayStation 5 is the fastest unit-selling console platform in history over its 8 months on the market.

The Switch was the top-selling console in both units and dollar sales in May until its reign was toppled by the Series X/S. It’s unclear whether the Series X/S can continue this run, particularly with component shortages still occurring and Nintendo’s extremely well-received E3 presentation looming in the background.

Xbox also had a dramatic E3 presentation this year, which introduced players to big-name titles like Halo Infinite, Redfall, and Starfield. Microsoft recently announced that the Xbox Cloud Gaming service is powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware, expanding the console’s influence into the world of cloud gaming and streaming.

It remains to be seen whether all of these slick announcements will be enough to bolster Xbox Series X/S sales through the long term.

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Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

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