According to U.S. retail tracking data released by Mat Piscatella, an analyst at market research firm Circana, cumulative Xbox console sales in the year through August 2026 decreased by 33% year-over-year, while PlayStation console sales dropped by 25%. During the same period, the average price U.S. consumers paid for new consoles hit record highs for both brands.
Piscatella stated that Xbox console sales for the period were at their lowest level in history, while PlayStation console sales were at their lowest since 2013. The average price consumers paid for a new Xbox console was $529, a 26% increase from the previous year; the average price for a PlayStation console was $597, up 20%.
Piscatella believes that consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive, describing the U.S. console market as being in its most unstable period since the early 1980s. He also mentioned that Grand Theft Auto VI, expected to launch in November, might alleviate some of the sales decline, but the effect will depend on console pricing and availability at that time.