November 2020 NPD has PS5 setting a new U.S. record

New records set amidst a next-generation launch.

What you need to know

• The November 2020 NPD results have been released.
• The PS5 achieved the highest launch month dollar sales for a video game platform in U.S. history.
• The Nintendo Switch was the bestselling console in terms of units sold.

Every month, NPD Group releases information on the best-selling games, game consoles and accessories across all video game platforms in the United States. While it doesn't account for total worldwide sales, it does provide a nice look at one of the largest video game markets. Mat Piscatella, a fantastic analyst for NPD, has shared the results for October 2020.

This month saw the launch of the PS5, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. The PS5 was the bestselling console of November in terms of dollar sales, while the Nintendo Switch led in overall units sold. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was the bestselling game of the month and instantly became the bestselling game of the year, with Assassin's Creed Valhalla making the #2 spot. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales made the third position with Demon's Souls coming in at #10.

Here are the November 2020 results:

• Total sales: $7 billion, up 35% year-over-year.
• Video game hardware: $1.4 billion

November 2020 NPD Here are the top 20 games sold in the U.S.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
3. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
4. Madden NFL 21
5. NBA 2K21
6. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
7. Watch Dogs: Legion
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
9. FIFA 21
10. Demon's Souls
11. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
12. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
13. Just Dance 2021
14. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
15. Luigi's Mansion 3
16. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
17. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
18. Marvel's Avengers
19. Mortal Kombat 11
20. Ghost of Tsushima

November 2020 NPD Here are the best-selling games of August 2020 by platform:October 2020 NPD PlayStation 4

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
3. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
4. Madden NFL 21
5. Demon's Souls
6. NBA 2K21
7. FIFA 21
8. Watch Dogs: Legion
9. Ghost of Tsushima
10. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

November 2020 NPD Xbox One

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
3. Madden NFL 21
4. Watch Dogs: Legion
5. NBA 2K21
6. FIFA 21
7. Marvel's Avengers
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
9. Star Wars: Squadrons
10. NHL 21

November 2020 NPD Nintendo Switch

1. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
4. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
5. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
6. Just Dance 2021
7. Luigi's Mansion 3
8. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Here are the top 10 best-selling games of 2020 in the U.S. so far:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
4. Madden NFL 21
5. The Last of Us Part 2
6. Ghost of Tsushima
7. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
8. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
9. Marvel's Avengers
10. Super Mario 3D All-Stars

That's all we've got for this month's report. For more information, be sure to check Piscatella's thread here. You can also check out last month's NPD report.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

• $70 at Best Buy

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War shakes things up with a campaign that delivers solid mechanical improvements. The multiplayer leaves a lot to be desired but things are improving with patches and now the big Season One content update.

PlayStation 5

• PlayStation 5: Everything we know so far
• PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: How they compare
• PS5 Specs: What's in the next-gen PlayStation
• Will PS4 games work on the PlayStation 5?