US console hardware sales are sliding sharply, and Xbox has reached a low it has never hit before. Circana’s US retail tracking shows Xbox hardware units down 33% year over year through August, while PlayStation units fell 25% to their lowest point since 2013. Circana senior director Mat Piscatella described the market as being in its most precarious position since the early 1980s.
From Circana's US Retail Tracking Service:For 2026 YTD ending August, Xbox hardware unit sales are down 33% versus a year ago in the US, while PlayStation hardware units are 25% lower.Xbox YTD US hardware unit sales are at an all-time low, while PlayStation is at lowest point since 2013.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-10-09T14:00:00.119Z
August offered a different signal for PlayStation. It was the only hardware platform to post higher dollar sales in Circana’s monthly US report. Dollar sales measure spending, not the number of consoles sold, so the increase does not erase PlayStation’s year-to-date unit decline.
Prices moved in the opposite direction. Through August, the average price paid for an Xbox console was $529, up 26% from a year earlier. PlayStation averaged $597, up 20%. Circana said both averages were US records. The PS5 Pro contributes to PlayStation’s average, so $597 is not the price of an entry-level PS5.
The average price a consumer has paid for a new Xbox console in 2026 YTD ending August is $529, 26% higher than a year ago, while the average PlayStation console has sold for $597, 20% higher than last year.Both prices are at all-time US highs.Price sensitivity is becoming a real problem.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-10-09T14:02:31.957Z
The figures do not show how much higher prices alone contributed to weaker unit sales. Piscatella warned that buyers were becoming more sensitive to cost, while component shortages tied mostly to demand from AI data centers have pushed prices higher.
Grand Theft Auto VI’s November release could ease some of the sales decline, but its effect will depend on console availability amid shortages of RAM and other components. A UK comparison showed PS5 sales up 33% and Xbox Series S and X sales up 34% in the week after the game’s August 27 presentation, even as overall UK hardware sales remained down 14.4% year over year.
Holiday supply could be tight even with a major release drawing buyers. A senior games buyer for an unnamed retailer told The Game Business that shortages and higher prices had left consoles in shorter supply than usual, and that GTA VI could lead to stock selling out at Christmas.
Which looks like the bigger hurdle for console demand this holiday season, high prices or limited stock? Follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram for more coverage of the price and supply pressures facing console buyers.
