DualSense Controller Sales Statistics 2026
US shoppers spent $178 million on video game accessories in July 2026, down 6% year on year and the weakest July for the category since 2019, Circana reported. The DualSense has held the top spot in US accessory unit sales through much of that decline. This post covers Circana’s retail rankings, monthly accessory spending, PlayStation Direct pricing, the PS5 shipment base and controller use on Steam.
DualSense Controller Sales
Where Do DualSense Controller Sales Rank In US Accessory Charts?
Circana names two accessory leaders each month: one by units sold, one by dollar sales. The DualSense took the unit crown in every month listed below.
The dollar crown moved. May 2025 is the only month here where a single product led both measures.
| Month | Top accessory by units | Top accessory by dollars | Accessory spend | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | DualSense Midnight Black | DualSense Midnight Black | $154 million | -6% |
| November 2025 | DualSense Midnight Black | PlayStation Portal Midnight Black | $327 million | -13% |
| February 2026 | DualSense Midnight Black | PlayStation Portal Midnight Black | $215 million | -2% |
Source: Circana, US video game market monthly reports, May 2025 to February 2026
In February 2026 the split also held for the year to date. DualSense Midnight Black ranked first in units for the month and for 2026 so far; PlayStation Portal Midnight Black ranked first in dollars on both counts.
The Portal carries a higher shelf price than a DualSense. That gap is how one product leads units while another leads revenue. Sony’s other PS5 peripheral line is tracked in these PlayStation VR2 shipment estimates.
How Much Are Americans Spending On Gaming Accessories In 2026?
Accessory spending has moved in both directions this year. June fell hardest, against a June 2025 that carried Nintendo Switch 2 launch demand.
May was the outlier on the upside, growing 8% off a base that had itself fallen 6% a year earlier.
| Month | US accessory spending | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | $215 million | -2% |
| May 2026 | $168 million | +8% |
| June 2026 | $232 million | -21% |
| July 2026 | $178 million | -6% |
Source: Circana, US consumer spending on video game accessories, February to July 2026
June 2026 came in at $232 million against $294 million a year earlier. May moved from $154 million to $168 million over the same comparison.
Accessories Against The Wider US Market
Accessories are the smallest of the three categories Circana and Sensor Tower report to the ESA. US accessory sales reached $2.95 billion in 2025, down 7% from $3.2 billion in 2024, while hardware grew 9% to $5.4 billion.
Circana and Sensor Tower restated the 2025 figures in March 2026, putting final accessories at $2.9 billion and the total at $60.8 billion. Broader platform economics sit in this breakdown of gaming revenue by segment.
| Category | 2025 spending | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Content | $52.3 billion | Up from $51.7 billion |
| Hardware | $5.4 billion | +9% |
| Accessories | $2.95 billion | -7% |
Source: Entertainment Software Association, Circana and Sensor Tower, US consumer spending, calendar year 2025
Circana projects total US video game spending of $62.8 billion in 2026, a 3% rise on 2025, in its February 2026 Games Market Dynamics report.
What Happened To Gamepad Spending Around DualSense Controller Sales?
Circana breaks gamepads out from the wider accessory line. June 2026 gamepad spending fell 31% year on year.
Circana attributed that change mainly to a 76% drop in gamepad spending on Nintendo platforms, measured against the Switch 2 launch month. Nintendo’s own first-year totals appear in these Switch 2 hardware and attach-rate figures.
Gamepad spending had already fallen 19% in November 2025. July 2026 split by sub-category instead: racing controller spending dropped 26%, while cases and organizers grew 36%.
DualSense Controller Prices In 2026
Sony announced new recommended retail prices on 27 March 2026, effective 2 April. The list covered PS5 at $649.99, PS5 Digital Edition at $599.99, PS5 Pro at $899.99 and PlayStation Portal at $249.99. No DualSense model appeared in that announcement.
The standard DualSense last moved in September 2024, when retailer listings including PlayStation Direct went from $69.99 to $74.99. Sony did not publish a blog post for that change.
| Product | Listed US price |
|---|---|
| DualSense Wireless Controller, Midnight Black | $74.00 |
| DualSense Edge Wireless Controller, Midnight Black | $199.00 |
| DualSense Charging Station | $29.00 |
| PULSE Explore wireless earbuds, Midnight Black | $199.00 |
Source: PlayStation Direct US store listings, 7 September 2026
Holding the entry model flat while consoles rose is the pricing backdrop to the DualSense unit lead. It is not evidence of cause, and Circana has not linked the two.
How Big Is The PS5 Base Behind DualSense Controller Sales?
Console shipments and controller demand have pulled apart. Sony shipped 1.6 million PS5 units in the April to June 2026 quarter, against 2.5 million a year earlier.
| Metric | Units | Period |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 quarterly shipments | 2.5 million | April to June 2025 |
| PS5 quarterly shipments | 1.6 million | April to June 2026 |
| PS5 lifetime shipments | 95.3 million | Through 30 June 2026 |
Source: Sony Group Corporation, Q1 FY2026 earnings materials (sell-in units), quarter ended 30 June 2026
Shipments are sell-in to retailers, not sales to players. PlayStation Network reached 125 million monthly active accounts in June 2026, up 2% and a record for that month, on Sony’s own count of unique accounts active in the final month of the quarter.
Circana reported PS5 unit sales down 6% in July 2026 against July 2025, with PS5 leading the US hardware market in dollar sales and Switch 2 leading in units. Subscription behaviour across the same base shows up in this PS Plus membership tracker, and download share in these PlayStation Store digital sales figures.
Xbox Series unit sales fell 18% and Switch 2 fell 51% over the same July comparison. Platform-level context sits in this PS5 and Xbox Series sales comparison.
DualSense Controller Use On PC
Valve publishes controller session shares rather than sales. In a June 2024 Steam post, Valve reported that daily average controller use had tripled since 2018, from about 5% to as much as 15% of all sessions.
PlayStation pads accounted for 26% of controller sessions, behind Xbox at 59%. Steam Deck took 10%. Valve did not break out the remaining share.
These are sessions on Steam, not units sold and not player counts. Around 42% of controller sessions used Steam Input. Handheld PC context appears in these Steam Deck install base estimates, and platform-wide PlayStation metrics in this PlayStation performance roundup.
FAQs
What was the best-selling gaming accessory in the US in 2026?
DualSense Midnight Black led US accessory unit sales in February 2026, for the month and the year to date. PlayStation Portal Midnight Black led dollar sales over the same period, per Circana.
How much do Americans spend on gaming accessories?
US accessory spending was $178 million in July 2026, down 6% year on year. Full-year 2025 accessory sales reached $2.95 billion, a 7% drop from $3.2 billion in 2024.
Are Reddit posts a reliable source on DualSense controller sales?
Reddit threads mostly repeat Circana’s monthly notes rather than publish original data. Circana reported July 2026 accessory spending of $178 million, down 6%. Check the figure and its period before citing.
Why does Reddit say gamepad sales are collapsing?
Reddit points to Circana’s June 2026 note: US gamepad spending fell 31% year on year. Circana attributed the drop mainly to a 76% fall in gamepad spending on Nintendo platforms.
Did the DualSense get more expensive in April 2026?
Sony’s 27 March 2026 announcement raised PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal prices from 2 April. It did not list any DualSense model. PlayStation Direct listed the standard controller at $74.00 in September 2026.
Sources
https://www.circana.com/post/top-10-video-games
https://www.theesa.com/2025-u-s-consumer-spending-on-video-games-nears-pandemic-level-peak-at-60-7-billion-second-highest-on-record/
https://blog.playstation.com/2026/03/27/new-price-changes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-playstation-portal-remote-player/
https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/4142827237888316812
