Marvel's Wolverine Tops the US September Chart, Giving Sony Its Biggest Launch Month Since Helldivers 2

Marvel's Wolverine Tops the US September Chart, Giving Sony Its Biggest Launch Month Since Helldivers 2

A Half Month on Sale Was Enough

Marvel's Wolverine launched on PS5 on September 15, 2026, and with less than half a month of sales under its belt it still finished September as the best-selling game in the United States. The action-adventure was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as a PS5 exclusive. TheGamer and Insider Gaming both reported the number-one finish, and the game also debuted as the 11th best-selling title of 2026 in the US to date.

The Chart Came From Circana

The rankings are Circana data shared publicly by analyst Mat Piscatella, measuring full-game dollar sales across physical and digital. Piscatella also noted that Marvel's Wolverine delivered the highest launch-month full-game dollar sales for a Sony-published title since the February 2024 debut of Helldivers 2. The game also placed seventh on Circana's weekly active users chart, breaking what Piscatella had described as a live-service stranglehold on PlayStation's engagement rankings.

A Crowded Field of New Releases

The win came in a dense September: eight of the top ten best-selling games that month were new releases, according to Insider Gaming, which listed Marvel's Wolverine ahead of EA Sports FC 27, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, Blood of Dawnwalker, Wardogs, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Halloween: The Game and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Push Square added that the game was the number-one PS Store title in North America for September and second in Europe.

Mixed Reviews Did Not Stop the Purchase

GameSpot scored the game 8/10, with editor-at-large Tamoor Hussain describing it as a "fun but forgettable" experience, and the title had faced a loud online backlash campaign. TheGamer argued the result is a reminder that most players pick up whatever is big and new regardless of social media noise. TheDailyGame framed it the same way: lukewarm critical and player reception did not translate into weaker sales.

Boxed Copies Did More Than Expected

GameSpot, citing analyst Rhys Elliott, reported estimates of 1.9 million units sold as of September 18, with physical sales accounting for 799,000 of them. IGN, citing Ampere Analysis, put September sales at 2.16 million units with 35 percent of sales on disc. In Europe, IGN said 51 percent of Wolverine sales were the boxed version, with more than two thirds physical in France but two thirds digital in the UK.

Sony's Hardware Month Was Also Strong

Circana's September hardware numbers showed US video game hardware spending rising 12 percent year over year to $362 million, though year-to-date hardware spending remained9 percent lower at $2.91 billion. The PlayStation 5 led all platforms in both unit and dollar sales, with hardware dollar sales up 43 percent and unit sales up 22 percent, giving Sony its highest monthly hardware dollar share since May 2025, TwistedVoxel and GameBastion reported.

Revenue Grew Faster Than Boxes

Bloomberg cautioned that a chunk of the PS5 revenue increase reflects price hikes over the past year rather than new players entering the ecosystem, so the 43 percent figure reads as more revenue per unit rather than more consoles in more homes. GameSpot also noted reports that PS5 Pro stock sold out quickly, presumably ahead of the November launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. Overall projected spending on content, hardware and accessories slipped 1 percent to $4.76 billion, TwistedVoxel reported.

Xbox Set a September Low

The same Circana data showed Xbox Series hardware sales falling 27 percent year over year to an all-time September low, and Nintendo Switch 2 sales down 12 percent. GameSpot's framing was that with overall spending up, Xbox's decline stands out rather than reflecting a soft market.

Sony Withholds Total Sales; October Momentum Uncertain

Sony has not commented on the game's overall sales performance, and no price cut or discount has been announced, according to TheDailyGame and GameSpot. With September now closed, the open questions are whether the momentum holds into October and whether Sony answers the split between strong sales and cool reviews with promotions.