Xbox US Hardware Unit Sales Hit All-Time Low as Prices Reach Record Highs

Xbox hardware unit sales in the United States fell to an all-time low for the year to date through August 2026, according to Circana. The market research firm’s data also shows the average amount paid for Xbox hardware reached a record high during the same period.

Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella reported that Xbox hardware unit sales were down 33% year over year through August. PlayStation hardware units declined 25%, putting Sony’s consoles at their lowest US unit-sales level since 2013.

The figures measure hardware units sold rather than hardware revenue, and they cover the US market rather than worldwide performance. Circana did not provide model-by-model totals in the posts, so the data should not be read as a separate count for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

Higher prices are part of the picture. In a follow-up post, Piscatella said the year-to-date average price paid for Xbox hardware rose 26% to $529. The PlayStation average climbed 20% to $597. Both were all-time highs for their respective brands in the United States.

Piscatella described price sensitivity as one of the biggest current challenges for console hardware. The numbers underline a difficult tradeoff for platform holders: higher average selling prices can support revenue per console, but they also make it harder to reach buyers who are waiting for discounts or lower-cost options.

The Circana figures do not establish that price increases caused the entire sales decline. Release schedules, the age of the current console generation, available promotions and broader consumer spending can also affect hardware demand, and the posts did not assign a single cause.

Would a lower Xbox hardware price be enough to persuade you to buy or upgrade this year?