The decline in video game spending continued through the second quarter of 2022

Spending on video games in 2022 continued to decline. According a report by the NPD groupspending fell 13% in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the same period last year.

Total consumer spending on video games in the second quarter was $12.35 billion, down $1.71 billion from the second quarter of 2021. Non-mobile subscription spending increased during of this period, but it was the only major category of expenditure to increase. In fact, lower mobile spending explains much of the drop, according to the report. Spending on mobile games decreased by 12%. In the other categories, spending on materials decreased by 1% and spending on accessories by 11%.

Many of the most popular games from this era are mobile and multiplayer must-haves, including Among Us, Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty: Warzone, Candy Crush Saga, GTA V, Minecraft, Mario Kart 8, and Pokémon Go. Elden Ring, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, as well as The Sims 4 were also massive titles this quarter. In terms of hardware sales, Nintendo Switch took the crown, while PlayStation 5 generated the highest dollar sales.

The report attributes the decline to a broader return to work and other public places as well as an uncertain economic environment. Rising gas prices and general inflation have made budgets tighter. There are also less prevalent hurdles, namely fewer new releases and ongoing hardware shortages. However, even with all of these factors, spending is still above pre-pandemic levels.

The pandemic has broken video game spending records and launched a period of massive growth for the industry. However, this year alone, spending has started to decline. The first quarter of 2022 saw a similar decline and May 2022 was the industry’s worst spending month since February 2020. As the report indicates, the general state of the economy will have a significant impact on the months to come.