Video game hardware endured the worst November of sales in the United States in three decades, according to new research.
According to the research firm Circana, the 1.6 million devices purchased in the US last month was the lowest tally since the ageing Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo were battling it out with the new Sony PlayStation. Back in November 1995, 1.4 million units shipped. Of course that was prior to the ugly insanity of the Black Friday shopping wars, when shoppers were more focused on Christmas gifts.
What’s this shortfall attributable to? Well, after five years on the market, perhaps the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S aren’t as attractive in 2025. However, the prices also aren’t as advantageous as they have been in previous Novembers, according to the new data.
Circana reports that the $439 average price paid per unit of hardware is the highest ever. And 11% higher than last year. We can deduce that the usual November deals weren’t as attractive as in previous years, despite the machines being a year older. The likely culprit of that is the tariffs on goods entering the US, as well as the scarcity of RAM chips caused by the AI bubble no-one asked for.
While every manufacturer seems to have suffered, November was a particularly bad time for Xbox hardware according to the same research firm. Circana says (via IGN) Xbox Series X|S consoles were down 70% year-on-year.
Considering Microsoft has made it totally unnecessary to own Xbox hardware to play the best first-party games this isn’t surprising at all. Game Pass Ultimate is available on a tremendous number of devices now. Meanwhile, Microsoft has practically abandoned keeping its first party properties as exclusives. So PS5 owners don’t require an additional console to play first party titles like Indiana Jones. New third-party Xbox handhelds might also have contributed to the shortfall in traditional Xbox hardware.
The Xbox numbers are particularly startling. However, the PS5 was down 40% compared with November 2024. And even the Switch 2 and Switch 1 console sales were down 10% on just the original Switch last year. The console market is having a rough time. Grand Theft Auto 6 can’t come soon enough.
