Circana says Marvel's Wolverine was September's best-selling US game, Sony's biggest launch month since Helldivers 2, even as critics were split.
Marvel's Wolverine was the best-selling game in the United States in September, according to market analysis firm Circana, even though its reviews were mixed and the game was a frequent target of social media jokes. Eurogamer and Polygon both reported the figures this week.
Marvel's Wolverine tops the US chart
Circana's figures cover physical and digital sales. Eurogamer reported that the Insomniac Games title topped the chart despite launching exactly halfway through the month. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella wrote that it delivered "the highest launch month dollar sales" for a Sony-published game since Helldivers 2 arrived in February 2024.
Eurogamer added a caveat. Helldivers 2 also launched on PC and cost $40, while Marvel's Wolverine is a PlayStation 5 exclusive priced at $70, so the earlier game needed to sell more copies to reach a similar dollar total.
What the numbers say about consoles
According to Eurogamer's summary of the Circana data, the PS5 posted a 43 percent rise in dollar sales compared with the same period last year, though part of that comes from the console's higher price. PS5 led the month in both unit and dollar sales across consoles. Switch 2 unit sales fell 14 percent and Xbox unit sales fell 27 percent, which Circana said made it Xbox's lowest September on record.
Polygon pointed to Ampere Analysis estimates that the game sold around 2.35 million copies in September, with about 35 percent of sales on physical discs. Polygon noted that this sits awkwardly with Sony's plan to end disc production for PlayStation games from 2028.
A crowded September
Eight of the month's top ten were new releases. Polygon listed NBA 2K27 in second, EA Sports FC 27 in third and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave in fourth, followed by The Blood of Dawnwalker, Wardogs, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Halloween: The Game and Ace Combat 8, with Madden NFL 27 in tenth. Eurogamer said NBA 2K27 also overtook Resident Evil Requiem as the best-selling game of 2026 so far.
Polygon described the critical reception for Marvel's Wolverine as lukewarm, with reviewers citing repetition, shallow gameplay and weak storytelling, while some praised its visuals. The outlet argued the game became an easy target for viral clips, including mockery of its scent-trail guidance, which makes the sales result stand out.
These are US figures only. Eurogamer said the next Circana reports will be closely watched, with October covering Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and November expected to include GTA 6.
Picture credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Insomniac Games / Marvel (PlayStation.com)
