Xbox Sales Are Down 70%, And It’s Because You’re Broke (And Smart)
If you walked into a store this Black Friday and decided to buy groceries instead of a new console, you are part of a massive, depressing statistic.
We just lived through the worst November for console revenue since 2005. Let that sink in. November is supposed to be the Super Bowl of video game sales, the time when everyone throws their wallets at Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. Instead, according to a brutal new report from Circana (as spotted by Paul Tassi at Forbes), the industry just drove off a cliff.
The Numbers Are Catastrophic
The stats are honestly shocking, even for a cynic like me. Xbox Series X/S sales are down a colossal 70% year-over-year. That isn't a slump; that is a collapse. Sony isn't popping champagne either, with PS5 sales dropping 40%. Even the invincible Nintendo saw a 10% dip, despite the Switch 2 launching just this past June.
Physical software sales? They are at their lowest point since 1995. We are officially in the dark timeline.
It’s The Prices, Stupid
You don't need a degree in economics to figure out why this is happening. In a sane world, console prices go down as the generation gets older. In 2025, we are living in the upsidedown. Thanks to tariffs and "market conditions" (corporate speak for "everything is terrible"), the barrier to entry has become a brick wall.
Let's look at the damage. An Xbox Series X is now floating between $600 and $800 depending on the bundle. The Series S, which was supposed to be the budget option, is sitting at $400 to $450. That is more than a launch PS5 cost five years ago. Speaking of Sony, if you want a PS5 Pro, you are shelling out $750. For a console.
It is absolutely delusional pricing.
Microsoft Saw This Coming
The writing has been on the wall for a while, and it explains Microsoft's bizarre marketing pivot. They have effectively been running ads telling people they don't need an Xbox. When your flagship hardware costs as much as a used car, pivoting to "just subscribe to Game Pass on your Fire Stick" becomes more than just a strategy, it turns into a survival mechanism.
A Luxury We Can’t Afford
The reality is that 70% of Americans feel priced out of the current economy. When housing and groceries are eating your entire paycheck, a $750 PS5 Pro or an $800 Xbox isn't just a tough sell; it is insulting.
We are in a weird spot where PC gaming is getting strangled by GPU prices and console gaming is pricing itself into irrelevance. If you managed to grab a console back in 2020, hold onto it tight. It might be the last affordable piece of tech you own.