Marvel’s Wolverine Leads September US Game Sales Despite Mixed Reception

Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine has turned a divisive reception into a strong US sales debut, topping Circana’s projected September chart for full-game dollar sales. The result gives Sony a clear commercial win, even as discussion of the game has focused on complaints about its writing, combat and guided features. One flashpoint was the use of scent trails to direct players, a design choice that was later made optional in a patch.

Those criticisms haven’t stopped the game from leading the monthly chart. That distinction matters: a vocal debate about design can shape the conversation around a release without necessarily determining its sales performance. The chart doesn’t reveal how players feel after finishing the game, but it does show that enough customers bought it during its launch month to put it ahead of every other title in Circana’s September ranking.

Sales figures haven’t been disclosed, so the ranking can’t tell us how many copies Wolverine sold or how far ahead it finished. The available measure is full-game dollar sales, which ranks titles by revenue from full-game purchases rather than providing a unit count. Still, the comparison with Sony’s recent releases gives the result useful context: Wolverine generated the company’s highest launch-month full-game dollar sales since Helldivers 2 debuted in February 2024.

That’s a substantial benchmark, but it should be read precisely. It describes the strongest Sony-published launch month across that period under Circana’s dollar-sales measure; it doesn’t establish that Wolverine is Sony’s biggest game by total sales, nor does it reveal its long-term performance. The title ranks 11th among US best-sellers for 2026 so far, according to Mat Piscatella, Circana’s senior director and analyst, who shared the projections.

September’s other new releases

EA Sports FC 27 took second place, placing it behind Wolverine in September’s full-game dollar-sales ranking. Other new releases also filled out the upper portion of the chart: The Blood of Dawnwalker ranked fifth, WARDOGS sixth, Onimusha: Way of the Sword seventh, Halloween: The Game eighth and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve ninth.

The spread of titles makes September a useful snapshot of competition across different game series and genres. Yet a monthly chart is still a narrow view: placement reflects the sales period and measure being reported, while the list alone doesn’t explain how releases performed against their own expectations or budgets. Wolverine’s top spot is clear; the reasons for the gap between it and the other games aren’t available here.

NBA 2K27 moves to the year-to-date lead

NBA 2K27 now leads US game sales for 2026, overtaking Resident Evil Requiem. Its rise follows a strong early showing: the basketball series ranked third among the year’s best-selling games in August, based on early-access sales alone, as previously reported. In September, it ranked second behind Wolverine.

The combination of an August debut and a second-place September result helps explain how NBA 2K27 moved into the year-to-date lead. The rankings reflect different windows, though: the September position is a monthly result, while the annual lead accumulates performance across the year. That distinction matters when comparing a newly released game with titles that have had more time to sell.

What the debut says about reception and reach

Wolverine’s sales performance suggests the debate over its design hasn’t kept players away. This is more significant than it looks: complaints about specific mechanics can be intense, but a chart-topping launch indicates that they didn’t prevent the game from attracting substantial purchasing interest. The patch making scent trails optional also shows that at least one contested feature was adjusted after release, giving players a choice about how much guidance they want.

And yet, sales don’t settle the argument over whether those design choices work. They measure spending, not satisfaction, and the figures released here don’t show how many buyers continued playing or recommended the game. If you’re working in game development, that distinction is useful: a successful launch can coexist with criticism that may still matter for updates, player trust and the next project.

Here’s the thing: the available evidence supports a strong debut, not a verdict on the game’s staying power. Its first-month position and Sony’s launch-month comparison give the release commercial weight, while the missing sales total limits how much can be said about its scale. The ranking is the signal. The number behind it remains undisclosed.

For Sony, the result gives Wolverine the strongest launch-month showing among its published games since Helldivers 2, while the broader year-to-date chart has a different leader in NBA 2K27. Two kinds of success, measured over different spans. That’s the part most people overlook (and this is the part most people overlook).

What to watch next

The September chart establishes where these games stood during the month, but it can’t tell readers whether Wolverine will hold its position in later sales periods. That will depend on results not included in the current figures. For now, the clearest takeaway is that criticism of the game’s writing, combat and guidance systems has not prevented a strong launch, while NBA 2K27’s accumulated sales have carried it to the 2026 year-to-date lead.

A strong opening, then. The longer-term picture is still unfolding.