September 2020 NPD: Marvel's Avengers is the second-biggest launch month ever for a superhero game

What you need to know

• The NPD group has released the results for September 2020.
• Marvel's Avengers was the best-selling game of the month.
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 launched at the #4 spot.

Every month, the 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 September 2020.

Marvel's Avengers was the best-selling title of the month and achieved the second-biggest launch month dollar sales for a superhero game ever, only behind Marvel's Spider-Man, which has a smaller sequel on the way this holiday in the form of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 launched into the #4 spot and achieved the best launch month dollar sales of any game ever in the Tony Hawk franchise. It should go without saying but the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of September 2020.

You can see the full charts and results below. It's important to remember that NPD is based on dollar sales, not units sold.

Here are the September 2020 results:

• Total sales: $4.3 billion, up 10% year-over-year.
• Video game content: $3.8 billion, up from $3.5 billion year-over-year.
• Video game hardware: $177 million, up 15% year-over-year.
• Video game accessories: $191 million, up 30% year-over-year.

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

1. Marvel's Avengers
2. Super Mario 3D All-Stars*
3. Madden NFL 21
4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
5. NBA 2K21*
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
7. Crusader Kings 3
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
9. Star Wars: Squadrons
10. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
11. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
12. Ghost of Tsushima
13. Ring Fit Adventure
14. Super Smash Bros Ultimate*
15. UFC 4
16. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
17. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
18. Super Mario Odyssey*
19. Mortal Kombat 11
20. Super Mario Party*

*Digital sales are not included

September 2020 NPD Here are the best-selling games of August 2020 by platform:

September 2020 NPD PlayStation 4

1. Marvel's Avengers
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
3. Madden NFL 21
4. NBA 2K21*
5. Ghost of Tsushima
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
7. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
8. Star Wars: Squadrons
9. The Last of Us Part 2
10. Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition

August 2020 NPD Xbox One

1. Marvel's Avengers
2. Madden NFL 21
3. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
4. NBA 2K21*
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
6. Star Wars: Squadrons
7. UFC 4
8. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
9. Forza Horizon 4
10. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

September 2020 NPD Nintendo Switch

1. Super Mario 3D All-Stars*
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
4. Ring Fit Adventure
5. Super Smash Bros Ultimate*
6. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
7. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
8. Super Mario Odyssey*
9. Super Mario Party*
10. Luigi's Mansion 3

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

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
3. The Last of Us Part 2
4. Madden NFL 21
5. Ghost of Tsushima
6. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
7. Marvel's Avengers
8. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
9. MLB: The Show 20
10. Super Mario 3D All-Stars

That's all for this month's report. As always, you can check Mat Piscatella's thread for more information, or compare these results with the previous month's sales. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the buildup to the next generation, as the PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S arrive this holiday.