# US Console Sales Hit Lowest Levels Since 2013

October 11, 2026 at 09:23 AM

> Circana reports a 15% drop in August hardware sales as rising prices and declining demand impact Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo markets.

[Circana](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/circana-q117011698>) analyst **Mat Piscatella** reports the US console market is in its most precarious state since the early 1980s. August 2026 hardware unit sales fell 15% year-over-year to 559,000 units, marking the lowest August since 2013 as overall spending hit $4.3 billion.

Year-to-date hardware units dropped 33% for [Xbox](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/xbox-q15281614>) and 25% for [PlayStation](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/playstation-q1323662>). While Nintendo Switch 2 leads the 2026 market, Xbox hit an all-time low and PlayStation reached its lowest point since 2013. Average hardware prices rose to $541 from $476 a year ago.

Rising costs define the slump, with the average Xbox price hitting $529 and PlayStation reaching $597. Despite Sony's April price hikes, PS5 dollar sales grew 17% in August. Industry attention now turns to the November 19 launch of [Grand Theft Auto VI](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/grand-theft-auto-vi-q23648408>).


#GamingIndustry [#PlayStation](<https://hardwarebrief.com/hashtag/playstation>) [#Xbox](<https://hardwarebrief.com/hashtag/xbox>) #NintendoSwitch2 #GTAVI

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