Hardware face-off: PS5 holds the crown, Switch 2 keeps nibbling
Sony’s PlayStation 5 came out on top in the U.S. hardware race for February, taking the lead in both units sold and revenue for the second month running. That’s notable considering the PS5 is five years old now — it’s the veteran still throwing punches while Nintendo’s fresh Switch 2 keeps finding openings.
Yes, PS5 shipments are down compared to last year, but not by enough to lose the lead. Meanwhile the Switch 2 — still very new to the scene — is eating into market share and pushing total industry spending higher. Globally, the industry banked about $4.6 billion in February, a small year-over-year uptick that the Switch 2’s momentum helped make possible.
Sony also dominated accessories: the Midnight Black PS Portal was the top peripheral by revenue, and the Midnight Black DualSense moved the most units. In short: Sony sold consoles, controllers, and swag — Nintendo sold hype and momentum.
Games roundup: Resident Evil Requiem and the monthly leaderboard
Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem grabbed the crown for February and is the best-selling game of the year so far. Its first-week haul was roughly 60% larger than what Resident Evil Village managed back in 2021 — a solid indicator the franchise still packs a punch at launch.
The rest of the top spots are predictable-but-important franchise heavyweights: NBA 2K26 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 continue showing why annual sports and shooter entries are cash machines. New arrivals like Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined and Mario Tennis Fever made noticeable entries (Dragon Quest at #9, Mario Tennis at #11), though keep in mind Nintendo’s reported figures don’t include all digital sales — so those placements may undercount actual player uptake. Digital-only God of War: Sons of Sparta debuted at #14, which is impressive given its lack of physical retail presence.
Top 20 US sellers for February (highlights): 1 Resident Evil Requiem; 2 NBA 2K26; 3 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7; 4 Minecraft; 5 Helldivers 2; 6 EA Sports FC 26; 7 Battlefield 6; 8 Madden NFL 26; 9 Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined; 10 Grand Theft Auto 5; 11 Mario Tennis Fever; 12 Red Dead Redemption 2; 13 Diablo 2: Resurrected; 14 God of War: Sons of Sparta; 15 Ghost of Yotei; 16 Forza Horizon 5; 17 My Hero Academia: All’s Justice; 18 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2; 19 Pokémon Legends Z-A; 20 Resident Evil Generation Pack.
Why this matters to players: big launches like Requiem spike hardware bundles, revive community chatter, and steer publisher focus for months — expect more DLC, merch, and multiplayer tweaks as devs ride the wave. For console buyers, PS5’s continued strength means Sony still controls a chunk of first-party attention, but the Switch 2’s steady climb reminds everyone the generation is far from decided.
Community vibes have been a mix of hype and healthy debate — fans celebrate big debuts, console loyalists brag, and streamers milk the meme potential. In short: it’s another month where software drives hardware, and everyone’s already watching what Capcom, Sony, and Nintendo do next.
