If you’re planning to upgrade your gaming PC in 2026, Nvidia might make that harder than expected.
New reports suggest the company could significantly scale back production of its RTX 5000-series graphics cards next year, potentially cutting supply by as much as 40%.
The reason isn’t a lack of demand, but a growing problem with video memory (VRAM).
According to sources cited by Benchlife, rising VRAM prices and ongoing supply constraints are forcing Nvidia to rethink how many gaming GPUs it can realistically produce. With memory becoming more expensive and harder to secure, Nvidia may be prioritising its far more profitable AI-focused graphics cards over consumer gaming hardware.
That shift could have a knock-on effect for gamers. There’s already speculation that Nvidia may stop bundling VRAM with its GPU chips when supplying third-party board partners. If that happens, smaller manufacturers could struggle to source memory on their own, meaning fewer RTX 5000 cards making it to shelves.
The reports also suggest Nvidia could initially scale back production of specific models, namely the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti, both equipped with 16GB of VRAM. Those cards sit in the low-to-mid-range segment, where high memory allocations are starting to look increasingly expensive relative to their retail price.
All of this feeds into wider concerns about the future of Nvidia’s gaming lineup. Rumoured RTX 5000 Super refreshes, which were expected to feature even more VRAM, now look far less certain. Some speculation has already hinted at cancellations, though the more likely outcome is a significant delay that could push those upgrades into late 2026, if they arrive at all.
None of this is officially confirmed, so a healthy dose of scepticism is still warranted. But taken together, the claims paint a picture of a GPU market under real pressure, where memory shortages could directly impact availability, pricing, and even which cards Nvidia decides are worth making.
If the VRAM crunch continues, buying an RTX graphics card in 2026 might not just be expensive; it could be a waiting game too.
