Sales of PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles in the United States have fallen amid rising prices and a shortage of components. According to data from the analytics company Circana, in the first eight months of 2026 Xbox sales declined by 33% compared with the same period last year, while PlayStation sales fell by 25%, Polygon reports. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

August figures

In August, PlayStation sales in the US fell 11% compared with August 2025. This is the lowest figure for that month since 2013. Xbox sales declined 31% — to a minimum since August 2020. Nintendo console sales for the same month fell 15%.

Rising prices

Over the past year and a half, all three manufacturers have raised prices for their devices. The Xbox Series X now costs $799.99 (about 362 thousand tenge) — $300 (136 thousand tenge) more than at the start of sales. The price of the standard PlayStation 5 rose from $499 (226 thousand tenge) to $549.99 (249 thousand tenge) in August 2025, and in April 2026 it increased by another $100 (45 thousand tenge). In September, the Nintendo Switch 2 rose in price by $50 (22.7 thousand tenge).

Average price hits a record

As a result, buyers began spending more on consoles. In the first eight months of 2026, the average price of an Xbox in the US was $529 (240 thousand tenge) — 26% more than a year earlier. PlayStation cost an average of $597 (271 thousand tenge), having risen in price by 20%. These are record figures for the American market.

Prices in Kazakhstan

For example, at the start of sales in November 2020, a standard PS5 with a disc drive cost 256 thousand tenge in Kazakhstan. Now a standard PS5 is listed on the Sony Centre website for 389 thousand tenge.

Component shortage

Another reason for the price increase is a shortage of components. Memory manufacturers are switching to producing components for AI data centers. Because of this, there are fewer components for consoles, and their production is becoming more expensive. These costs are passed on to buyers.

Payment with Kazakh cards

Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the National Bank is working on simplifying payment in gaming services. The purchase of games in the PlayStation Store with Kazakh cards may be allowed in the first quarter of 2027.