How did the US video game industry fare in March 2019? The NPD Group has released its report for the month, shining a light on the best-performing consoles and games in March.

Starting with games, The Division 2 was the top-selling game of the month, and it becomes the second best-selling title of 2019, only behind Kingdom Hearts III. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice came in at No. 2, and it is the second-highest launch-month sales for FromSoftware; it's only behind Dark Souls III.

Another highlight in March was MLB 19: The Show, which came in at No. 3. The PS4-exclusive set a new franchise record for first-month sales; it also set a new all-time record for first-month sales across the entire baseball category. Devil May Cry 5 also came out in March, and it enjoyed the second highest launch-month sales in series history; only Devil May Cry 4 outperformed it. One final highlight was that Kingdom Hearts III, which released back in January, is now the best-selling Kingdom Hearts game ever.

Overall, total game spending in March 2019 amounted to $547 million; that's down 11 percent year-over-year.

Moving to hardware, the Nintendo Switch was March 2019's best-selling console, and the first quarter of the year overall, across units sold and dollars spent. The Switch's strong performance wasn't enough to stabilise the entire hardware sector, as total hardware spending for March 2019 dropped 15 percent to $282 million.

Microsoft and Sony are working on new consoles, so it might be people are holding off their purchases for now. Retailer GameStop has said it expects new console to be announced soon. Just recently, a new report said Nintendo will release a cheaper Switch model in June.

With games, hardware, and accessories sales combined, total US industry video game spending reached $1.2 billion in March; that's down 11 percent year-over-year.

March 2019 US Sales

Top 20 Games All Platforms

The Division 2^ Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice^ MLB 19: The Show Devil May Cry 5 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* Red Dead Redemption II NBA 2K19 GTA V Yoshi's Crafted World* Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^ Anthem^ Mario Kart 8* Jump Force New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe* Far Cry New Dawn Minecraft# Battlefield V^ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* Borderlands Assassin's Creed : Odyssey

2019 Year-To-Date Top 10 Games

Kingdom Hearts III The Division 2^ Anthem^ Resident evil 2 Red Dead Redemption II Jump Force Super Smash Bros. Ultimate8 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice^ Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^ New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*

All Platforms 12 Months Ending March 2019

Red Dead Redemption II Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^ NBA 2K19 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* Madden NFL 19^ Spider-Man God of War Assassin's Creed Odyssey FIFA 19^ Mario Kart 8*

March 2019 Xbox One

The Division 2 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Devil May Cry 5 Anthem Red Dead Redemption II Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 NBA 2K19 Battlefield V Far Cry New Dawn

March 2019 PS4

The Division 2 MLB 19: The Show Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Devil May Cry 5 Red Dead Redemption II NBA 2K19 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Jump Force Spider-Man GTA V

March 2019 Nintendo Switch

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* Yoshi's Crafted World* Mario Kart 8* New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe* The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* Super Mario Party* Super Mario Odyssey* Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu* Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee* Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

March 2019 3DS

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn* Pokemon: Ultra Sun* Pokemon: Ultra Moon* The Legend of Zelda: Marjora's Mask 3D* Super Mario Maker* Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey* Super Smash Bros.* Mario Kart 7* Super Mario 3D Land* Luigi's Mansion*

* Digital sales not included

^ PC digital sales not included

# Minecraft digital sales on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One included