January-August US console sales fell 33% for Xbox, 25% for PlayStation as average prices hit records

The number of Xbox and PlayStation consoles sold in the US has fallen sharply this year. On October 9, Mat Piscatella, a video game industry analyst at market research firm Circana, reported that US Xbox console unit sales from January through August 2026 fell 33% year on year, while PlayStation sales fell 25%[1]. Over the same period, the average price consumers paid for a new console reached a US record for both platforms[1]. This article is current as of October 11, 2026.

Xbox records its weakest January-August sales

The figures come from Circana's US retail sales tracking service. Piscatella shared them on his Bluesky account[1].

Cumulative Xbox unit sales from January through August were the lowest since tracking began. PlayStation sales were at their lowest since 2013[1]. The pattern was similar in August alone. According to figures Piscatella shared on October 8, August PlayStation console unit sales fell 11% year on year to their lowest level since 2013. Xbox sales fell 31% to their lowest since 2020, while Nintendo console unit sales fell 15%[2].

Fewer consoles sold at higher average prices

Unit sales fell, but prices rose. From January through August 2026, US consumers paid an average of $529 for a new Xbox console, 26% more than a year earlier. The average for PlayStation was $597, up 20%. Both were the highest figures recorded in the US[1]. Piscatella said price sensitivity was becoming a real issue[1].

He said one major game due in November could partly reduce the decline in sales. He added that this would depend on whether enough consoles could be supplied, and at what prices, amid a memory and component supply crisis. He also described the US hardware market as more precarious than at any point since the early 1980s[1]. He did not name the game.

In replies to the thread, he said Nintendo Switch 2 was selling reasonably well, though recent price increases had slowed its momentum somewhat. Asked about a recovery, he said that if the component crisis passed and console prices became less burdensome around 2028, there was no reason the market could not rebound. He added that this involved many assumptions and would take a long time[1].

September's results are due October 22

Circana's September US video game market results are scheduled for October 22[1]. This data covers only the US market and does not describe sales or prices outside the US. If you are considering buying a console, check the October 22 report to see whether the same trend continued in September and how console supply and prices are changing ahead of the major game release in November.

Sources

[1] Mat Piscatella (Circana). Bluesky thread on US console unit sales and average prices from January through August 2026. Data from Circana's US retail tracking service, October 9, 2026.

[2] Mat Piscatella (Circana). Bluesky post on US hardware unit sales in August 2026. October 8, 2026.