Video Game Console Sales Stagnate Before the Holiday Season Amid Rising Prices

A new Nintendo console has hit the shelves this Christmas for the first time in eight years, but it seems that wasn’t enough to boost overall hardware sales. Recent data reveals that last month marked the worst November for new video game hardware sales in the U.S. since 1995, the year the original PlayStation made its debut.

According to reports, only 1.6 million new consoles were sold last month, including during Black Friday. This figure is just a few hundred thousand above the 1995 low of 1.4 million. Surprisingly, the Switch 2 didn’t even take the crown as the best-selling hardware in November; that title went to the PS5, a console that’s been around for five years and didn’t see the expected boost from the anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 launch.

Part of the issue likely stemmed from the Black Friday deals. Sony slashed the price of the all-digital PS5 by $100, while Nintendo discontinued its long-standing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle for the original Switch. Although the Switch 2 did receive some unexpected discounts from retailers by Cyber Monday, those deals fell on December 1 this year, outside the reporting period.

The average price of a new console hit an all-time November high of $439, an 11 percent increase compared to last year. Back in November 2019, the average was just $235. This price surge can be partly attributed to the effects of the trade war, which prompted Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft to implement several rounds of price hikes in 2025. For instance, a new Xbox Series X, originally released five years ago for $500, now retails for $650 at Best Buy.

Interestingly, Microsoft was the only hardware manufacturer that didn’t offer any discounts on its consoles during the holiday season. It almost seems like the company is intentionally steering players away from new hardware, instead promoting cloud gaming or play on competing platforms. The Xbox secured third place for the month, even with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launching as November’s best-selling game, though it will likely still trail behind Battlefield 6 for the year.

Is console gaming becoming too pricey? Is the U.S. economy secretly on shaky ground? Perhaps it’s a bit of both, as suggested. “Correlation does not necessarily imply causation…unless it does,” was the take on the decline in console sales. With free games like Roblox and Fortnite back on mobile, it’s easier than ever for parents to look at the $500 price tag for a new system and say, “no thanks.”