Growth in the games market for July was slow, as retailers felt the full impact of GST, according to market analyst Inform.

Console game unit sales in July increased by just one per cent compared to June figures. Overall, the market grew 4 per cent, with the greatest growth in market value seen in the PC games - up 14 per cent.

Inform attributes the sluggish growth in the console market to "a deluge of budget-price games", while the PC market was fuelled by new releases.

Diablo 2 was the top selling release, with 9 per cent share of shipments across the board and 12 per cent share of full-price PC titles. Largely based on Diablo 2's success, distributor Jack of All Games became the number one distributor, followed by Electronic Arts and GT Interactive.

In consoles, Nintendo held the number one spot, with 40 per cent market share, followed by Sony Computer Entertainment Australia with 16 per cent, Electronic Arts with 10 per cent and GT Interactive and OziSoft.

"With the exception of a couple of low-volume Dreamcast titles, Sony's 'In Cold Blood' was the only game able to muscle in on any of the format's top 10 full-price charts, managing seventh position," the Inform report said.