Despite the success of the Nintendo Switch 2 since its June launch, a new report stated that November video game hardware sales in the US had hit a low not seen since the mid-1990s. Although the Switch 2 placed on the November 2025 sales figures charts in the US, the report stated spending on consoles decreased while the prices of consoles comparatively went up compared to November 2024.
It’s no secret that the Switch 2 has been a successful console for Nintendo, having sold over 10 million units globally within its first four months of availability. However, the introductory $449 price of the Switch 2 has been a point of contention for some consumers. During Black Friday 2025, Nintendo opted not to go with any special Switch 2 console bundle bargains for shoppers to consider. Instead, Nintendo offered discounts on various first-party Switch games, including Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Super Mario Odyssey. While the Switch 2 can play original Switch titles via backward compatibility, Nintendo’s lack of a holiday console bundle did not go unnoticed by consumers. By comparison, Sony offered a PS5 Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle as an alternative, with prices as low as $399 for the digital edition.
Video Game Hardware Sales Hit A Low Not Seen Since the Days of the SNES
However, the Switch 2’s apparent success was not enough to stop the US console hardware market from trending downward during November 2025. According to reports posted on Bluesky by Circana senior director Mat Piscatella, only 1.6 million consoles were sold across all platforms in the US during November 2025, which is a low for during the month of November that had not been seen since 1995, marking a gap of 30 years. In November 1995, when consoles like the SNES, the Sega Genesis, and the original PlayStation ruled the market, video game hardware sales in the US only reached 1.4 million units sold. Piscatella also stated that monthly hardware spending was at $695 million last month, a 27% drop from November 2024, and that this marked a 20-year low in hardware spending.
Although the Switch 2 placed in the top three for consoles sold in the US during November 2025, the PS5 outsold it. The NEX Playground system, which gave the PS5 a run for its money during mid-November, took the third spot in hardware units sold in the US, while the Xbox Series X/S was third in the dollar category. As for software, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was the best-selling game of the month, despite lower dollar sales compared to November 2024. Video game content sales saw a slight year-on-year increase, a 16% increase in subscription spending coupled with a 2% bump in mobile game sales managed to offset a decline in console and PC content spending.
The News Gets Worse For Console Buyers
Despite making a decent amount of money during November 2025, Piscatella stated that Xbox console sales in the US fell by 70% year-over-year, which is an all-time low for Microsoft’s console lineup during the month of November. The decline in hardware sales, especially for Xbox consoles, can partially be explained by the rising costs of hardware brought on by various economic factors, including the US government’s tariffs on various goods from countries like China. The tariffs have already caused Microsoft to increase the price of Xbox Series X/S consoles in the US twice during 2025, which may have soured potential customers away from buying one. To make matters worse, rumors of another potential Xbox console price increase have circulated, this time due to the ongoing RAM crisis affecting the entire hardware industry.
The RAM situation is also likely to affect Switch 2 console sales in 2026, as DRAM contract pricing from companies like Samsung has effectively doubled during the fall 2025 season. Ergo, customers looking to get a Switch 2 may not want to wait past the holidays before potential price increases start piling up.
Sources: IGN, Nintendo Life
