The Slump In One Table
Circana's US retail data show Xbox hardware unit sales down 33 percent and PlayStation down 25 percent in 2026 through August compared with a year earlier, an all-time low for Xbox and the lowest for PlayStation since 2013.
| Platform | Units, 2026 through August | Units, August only | Average price paid, 2026 through August |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox | Down 33 percent, an all-time low | Down 31 percent, lowest August since 2020 | $529, up 26 percent |
| PlayStation | Down 25 percent, lowest since 2013 | Down 11 percent, lowest August since 2013 | $597, up 20 percent |
Nintendo's August unit sales fell 15 percent, according to Polygon, which adds that the average prices are all-time US highs almost six years after the systems launched, when prices normally move the other way.
Prices Rose Because Memory Did
Polygon and Eurogamer both tie the higher prices to a memory shortage caused by AI data-centre demand.
List prices show it. The Xbox Series X is now $799.99, which is $300 more than at launch. The base PS5 went from $499 to $549.99 in August 2025 and rose another $100 in April 2026, and the Switch 2 rose $50 in September.
Xbox boss Asha Sharma has described the cost side: "When I joined as CEO in February, the price we paid for console storage components was over 2x as high as we paid last fall. These costs have since doubled again." She expects another significant increase for the 2027 holiday season, taking costs "over 5x the prices we paid only two years earlier". Eurogamer adds that Micron's CEO has warned shortages will last until at least 2028.
What The Arithmetic Says About Spending
Fewer units at higher prices still means less money: multiplying Circana's unit and price changes, US Xbox hardware spending is down roughly 16 percent and PlayStation spending roughly 10 percent.
That is our arithmetic on two Circana figures, not a number Circana published, and it covers hardware only.
Circana's Mat Piscatella said the US hardware market "has not been in a more precarious position since the early 80s" and warned that price sensitivity is "becoming a real problem". He added that Grand Theft Auto VI next month might help ease some of the decline, depending on pricing and product availability.
What This Means For Release And Stock Plans
These are US figures and neither article gives European numbers, so they should not be read across. Eurogamer does say consoles are more expensive than ever in most markets.
A studio or publisher with a launch window should test its plan against a smaller console audience than last year's forecast assumed, including a case where prices keep rising. Eurogamer notes the supply risk as well: if memory is booked for AI data centres, platform holders cannot build as many consoles as they could sell.
A retailer should expect demand to follow price. An independent team deciding when to ship a console version can weigh releasing on PC first, since US new-console sales are at multi-year lows.
Read next: Xbox's Disc-to-Digital Upgrade Only Works Once | All Three Console Makers Raised Prices In 2026
