{"id":2012756,"date":"2026-06-26T15:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2012756"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:41:00","slug":"switch-2-is-the-second-fastest-selling-console-in-us-history-as-playstation-records-its-worst-may-in-decades-and-xbox-its-worst-may-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2012756","title":{"rendered":"Switch 2 is the second fastest-selling console in US history, as PlayStation records its worst May in decades &#8211; and Xbox its worst May ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mario-kart-world\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Mario Kart World<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Switch 2 is the second fastest-selling console in US history, as PlayStation records its worst May in decades &#8211; and Xbox its worst May ever<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">It&#8217;s a-me, the component shortage crisis.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/love-triangle-meme-xbox-ps5-switch-2.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The love triangle meme: a man walking with his girlfriend looks around at another woman walking by, and clearly admires her. But here the Switch 2 has been overlaid over the bypassing woman, a playstation 5 overlaid over the man, and an Xbox over the wronged girlfriend.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"love-triangle-meme-xbox-ps5-switch-2.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/robert-purchese\">Robert Purchese<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Associate Editor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-26T15:41:00+00:00\">June 26, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"991ccbed-636f-4e88-a4b0-66afffb27500\" data-name=\"Mario Kart World\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Mario Kart World\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Mario Kart World\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Mario Kart World\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Mario Kart World\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Mario Kart World\" title=\"Follow Mario Kart World\"><br \/>\n  Follow Mario Kart World<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Let&#8217;s start with the good news: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/platforms\/switch-2\">Switch 2<\/a> has become the second fastest-selling console in US history, after just 12 months on sale. It shifted a whopping 5.9m units, placing it only behind Nintendo&#8217;s own Game Boy Advance &#8211; which sold 6.5m units in the 12 months after  it arrived, 25 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>These numbers come from data-tracking company Circana&#8217;s May 2026 report, which also declared Switch 2 to be May&#8217;s best-selling console in the US, ahead of PlayStation 5. It&#8217;s also the primary reason why year-on-year hardware spend has risen by more than a third. Otherwise, the news is dire.<\/p>\n<p>Onto the bad news, then. PlayStation 5 sales were down 58 percent year-on-year &#8220;driven by recent price increases&#8221;, and fell to their lowest May total since 2000. Meanwhile, Xbox sales fell only 12 percent, which doesn&#8217;t sound bad, but the (undisclosed) number of sales was &#8220;the lowest ever recorded for a May month [for Xbox hardware]&#8221;, which certainly does.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, it seems these numbers are unlikely to increase any time soon as the price of consoles keeps going up. Just yesterday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-major-price-increases\">Microsoft raised the price of Xboxes again<\/a> and by a not-inconsiderable amount. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-switch-2-price-increase-may-2025\">Nintendo is also raising the price of Switch 2<\/a> later this year and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-announces-major-price-hikes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-portal\">Sony increased the price of PlayStation<\/a> in March.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Circana&#8217;s report also said the average price paid for a new unit of video game hardware rose to $502 USD in May 2026, whereas it was $440 last year. PS5 pricing specifically rose 33 percent to $672, and Xbox Series X\/S pricing climbed 22 percent to $524. And this in a world where the increased cost of living is squeezing away whatever spare income people have.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps more worryingly, the predominant reason for the price increases &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ram-prices-are-soaring-what-does-it-mean-for-gaming\">the component shortage caused by insatiable AI datacentre demand<\/a> &#8211; shows no sign of abating. Microsoft yesterday said it expects &#8220;another doubling&#8221; in component pricing by autumn 2027, which presumably means one thing: more price hikes. Or perhaps exorbitantly priced next-generation machines, if any company is bold enough to introduce them in this economic situation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/steam-machine-review\">Look at Valve&#8217;s Steam Machine<\/a>: its console-like performance at a base price of $1000 has tainted its arrival. Even Valve admitted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-steam-machine-price-availability-reaction\">the Steam Machine price was &#8220;significantly&#8221; higher<\/a> than it imagined it would be when designing it. We&#8217;re living in unprecedented times; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/the-role-of-the-console-is-shifting-are-rising-prices-the-end-for-games-consoles-as-we-know-them\">never before in a console generation have prices increased like this<\/a> after launch.<\/p>\n<p>The question is whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-everything-we-know-so-far-9357\">Grand Theft Auto 6<\/a> has the pulling power to reivigorate the console market when it arrives 19th November. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/grand-theft-auto-6-console-shortage-holiday\">One retailer has already warned that there may not be enough console stock to satisfy GTA 6 demand<\/a> this Christmas or holiday season.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Let&#8217;s start with the good news: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/platforms\/switch-2\">Switch 2<\/a> has become the second fastest-selling console in US history, after just 12 months on sale. It shifted a whopping 5.9m units, placing it only behind Nintendo&#8217;s own Game Boy Advance &#8211; which sold 6.5m units in the 12 months after  it arrived, 25 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>These numbers come from data-tracking company Circana&#8217;s May 2026 report, which also declared Switch 2 to be May&#8217;s best-selling console in the US, ahead of PlayStation 5. It&#8217;s also the primary reason why year-on-year hardware spend has risen by more than a third. Otherwise, the news is dire.<\/p>\n<p>Onto the bad news, then. PlayStation 5 sales were down 58 percent year-on-year &#8220;driven by recent price increases&#8221;, and fell to their lowest May total since 2000. Meanwhile, Xbox sales fell only 12 percent, which doesn&#8217;t sound bad, but the (undisclosed) number of sales was &#8220;the lowest ever recorded for a May month [for Xbox hardware]&#8221;, which certainly does.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, it seems these numbers are unlikely to increase any time soon as the price of consoles keeps going up. Just yesterday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-major-price-increases\">Microsoft raised the price of Xboxes again<\/a> and by a not-inconsiderable amount. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-switch-2-price-increase-may-2025\">Nintendo is also raising the price of Switch 2<\/a> later this year and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-announces-major-price-hikes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-portal\">Sony increased the price of PlayStation<\/a> in March.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Circana&#8217;s report also said the average price paid for a new unit of video game hardware rose to $502 USD in May 2026, whereas it was $440 last year. PS5 pricing specifically rose 33 percent to $672, and Xbox Series X\/S pricing climbed 22 percent to $524. And this in a world where the increased cost of living is squeezing away whatever spare income people have.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps more worryingly, the predominant reason for the price increases &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ram-prices-are-soaring-what-does-it-mean-for-gaming\">the component shortage caused by insatiable AI datacentre demand<\/a> &#8211; shows no sign of abating. Microsoft yesterday said it expects &#8220;another doubling&#8221; in component pricing by autumn 2027, which presumably means one thing: more price hikes. Or perhaps exorbitantly priced next-generation machines, if any company is bold enough to introduce them in this economic situation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/steam-machine-review\">Look at Valve&#8217;s Steam Machine<\/a>: its console-like performance at a base price of $1000 has tainted its arrival. Even Valve admitted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-steam-machine-price-availability-reaction\">the Steam Machine price was &#8220;significantly&#8221; higher<\/a> than it imagined it would be when designing it. We&#8217;re living in unprecedented times; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/the-role-of-the-console-is-shifting-are-rising-prices-the-end-for-games-consoles-as-we-know-them\">never before in a console generation have prices increased like this<\/a> after launch.<\/p>\n<p>The question is whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-everything-we-know-so-far-9357\">Grand Theft Auto 6<\/a> has the pulling power to reivigorate the console market when it arrives 19th November. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/grand-theft-auto-6-console-shortage-holiday\">One retailer has already warned that there may not be enough console stock to satisfy GTA 6 demand<\/a> this Christmas or holiday season.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Mario Kart World Switch 2 is the second fastest-selling console in US history, as PlayStation records its worst May in decades &#8211; and Xbox its worst May ever It&#8217;s a-me, the component shortage crisis. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Published on June 26, 2026 Follow Mario Kart World Let&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2012756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2012756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2012756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2012756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2012756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2012756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2012756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}