US consumers spent an unprecedented amount of money on gaming in 2020.

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch

A new NPD Group report has confirmed that spending on games hit an eye-watering $56.9 billion in 2020, thereby setting a new landmark for the industry in the US.

The headline figure represents a 27 percent increase compared to 2019, while spending on hardware hit its highest level since 2011, hitting $5.3 billion.

2020 was of course a landmark year for the industry, thanks to the release of the PlayStation 5 and new Xbox consoles.

However, it was actually the Nintendo Switch that proved to be the best-selling console over the course of the year.

It was, in fact, the best-selling console in terms of dollar sales and units sold.

The Nintendo console was followed by the much-hyped PlayStation 5.

The report was released shortly after it was confirmed that Nintendo Switch dominated the Japanese market in 2020.

Japanese video game magazine Famitsu revealed that the Switch was the most-purchased console in the country last year.

Research also found that the gaming market received 367.38 billion yen over the 12-month period, representing a 12.5 percent increase from 2019’s 326.45 billion yen.