{"id":37004,"date":"2026-06-27T04:53:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=37004"},"modified":"2026-06-27T04:53:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:53:34","slug":"xbox-hardware-unit-sales-reached-a-historic-low-in-may-in-the-u-s-while-playstation-is-also-encountering-drops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=37004","title":{"rendered":"Xbox hardware unit sales reached a historic low in May in the U.S., while PlayStation is also encountering drops."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

### May 2026 Video Game Sales Review<\/p>\n

May 2026 has emerged as a significant month in video game software sales, featuring the launch of five new titles in the top 10 and a year-over-year rise of 1 percent in sales. The Nintendo Switch 2 has particularly shone, securing its position as the second-fastest-selling game console in U.S. history after one year since its launch.<\/p>\n

#### Triumph of Nintendo Switch 2<\/p>\n

The Nintendo Switch 2 led both unit and revenue sales, achieving an impressive 5.9 million units sold in the U.S. during its first year. It is trailing only the Game Boy Advance, which achieved 6.5 million units in its debut year. This month is pivotal as the console is poised to compete with its predecessors, offering an intriguing perspective on future sales dynamics. Importantly, the Switch 2’s price will remain unchanged until September 1, granting it a strategic edge in the current market.<\/p>\n

#### Struggles for Xbox and PlayStation <\/p>\n

On the contrary, the market conditions have not been favorable for Xbox and PlayStation. According to Circana’s findings, May 2026 recorded the lowest hardware sales for Xbox in May\u2019s history, while PlayStation faced its most disappointing May sales numbers since 2000. A significant factor contributing to this is the average price of new video game hardware, which increased by 14 percent year-over-year, reaching $502 in May. The average price of the PlayStation 5 jumped 33 percent to $672, while the Xbox Series X\/S price rose by 22 percent to $524.<\/p>\n

In spite of these price increases, Xbox reported a 7 percent year-over-year growth in hardware expenditures, although there was a considerable 12 percent decline in unit sales. This reflects a pattern where elevated prices are driving revenue growth, though Xbox remains in third place for hardware sales among leading manufacturers. Conversely, PlayStation’s expenditure plummeted by 43 percent, coupled with a drastic 58 percent decrease in unit sales, suggesting a more pronounced market challenge.<\/p>\n

#### Recent Game Launches<\/p>\n

Regarding software sales, May introduced several new titles, with **007 First Light** emerging as the top-selling game in dollar sales across the U.S. This title also led sales on PlayStation platforms and has become the fourth-best-selling title of 2026 thus far. **Forza Horizon 6** closely followed as the second-best-selling title, excelling on Xbox and PC, making it the fifth-best-seller this year. Other significant titles include **LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight** and **Subnautica 2**, which captured the third and fourth positions for the month, respectively.<\/p>\n

#### Top 10 Best-Selling Games of May 2026<\/p>\n

| Rank | Last Month | Title |
\n|——|————|———————————————–|
\n| 1 | NEW | *007 First Light* |
\n| 2 | NEW | *Forza Horizon 6* |
\n| 3 | NEW | *LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight* |
\n| 4 | NEW | *Subnautica 2* |
\n| 5 | 1 | *Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream* |
\n| 6 | 4 | *MLB: The Show 26* |
\n| 7 | 3 | *Crimson Desert* |
\n| 8 | NEW | *Yoshi and the Mysterious Book* |
\n| 9 | 12 | *Call of Duty: Black Ops 7* |
\n| 10 | 10 | *Mario Kart World* |<\/p>\n

*Note: Games marked with asterisks indicate projections of sales where complete digital data is not available.*<\/p>\n

#### Summary<\/p>\n

In summary, May 2026 underscored important trends within the gaming sector, highlighting notable success for the Nintendo Switch 2 while revealing the challenges faced by Xbox and PlayStation amid rising hardware costs. The abundance of new game releases and their robust sales point to a vibrant software market, setting a captivating stage for the months ahead as gamers anticipate further developments in the competitive hardware arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/div>\n

### May 2026 Video Game Sales Review<\/p>\n

May 2026 has emerged as a significant month in video game software sales, featuring the launch of five new titles in the top 10 and a year-over-year rise of 1 percent in sales. The Nintendo Switch 2 has particularly shone, securing its position as the second-fastest-selling game console in U.S. history after one year since its launch.<\/p>\n

#### Triumph of Nintendo Switch 2<\/p>\n

The Nintendo Switch 2 led both unit and revenue sales, achieving an impressive 5.9 million units sold in the U.S. during its first year. It is trailing only the Game Boy Advance, which achieved 6.5 million units in its debut year. This month is pivotal as the console is poised to compete with its predecessors, offering an intriguing perspective on future sales dynamics. Importantly, the Switch 2’s price will remain unchanged until September 1, granting it a strategic edge in the current market.<\/p>\n

#### Struggles for Xbox and PlayStation <\/p>\n

On the contrary, the market conditions have not been favorable for Xbox and PlayStation. According to Circana’s findings, May 2026 recorded the lowest hardware sales for Xbox in May\u2019s history, while PlayStation faced its most disappointing May sales numbers since 2000. A significant factor contributing to this is the average price of new video game hardware, which increased by 14 percent year-over-year, reaching $502 in May. The average price of the PlayStation 5 jumped 33 percent to $672, while the Xbox Series X\/S price rose by 22 percent to $524.<\/p>\n

In spite of these price increases, Xbox reported a 7 percent year-over-year growth in hardware expenditures, although there was a considerable 12 percent decline in unit sales. This reflects a pattern where elevated prices are driving revenue growth, though Xbox remains in third place for hardware sales among leading manufacturers. Conversely, PlayStation’s expenditure plummeted by 43 percent, coupled with a drastic 58 percent decrease in unit sales, suggesting a more pronounced market challenge.<\/p>\n

#### Recent Game Launches<\/p>\n

Regarding software sales, May introduced several new titles, with **007 First Light** emerging as the top-selling game in dollar sales across the U.S. This title also led sales on PlayStation platforms and has become the fourth-best-selling title of 2026 thus far. **Forza Horizon 6** closely followed as the second-best-selling title, excelling on Xbox and PC, making it the fifth-best-seller this year. Other significant titles include **LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight** and **Subnautica 2**, which captured the third and fourth positions for the month, respectively.<\/p>\n

#### Top 10 Best-Selling Games of May 2026<\/p>\n

| Rank | Last Month | Title |
\n|——|————|———————————————–|
\n| 1 | NEW | *007 First Light* |
\n| 2 | NEW | *Forza Horizon 6* |
\n| 3 | NEW | *LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight* |
\n| 4 | NEW | *Subnautica 2* |
\n| 5 | 1 | *Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream* |
\n| 6 | 4 | *MLB: The Show 26* |
\n| 7 | 3 | *Crimson Desert* |
\n| 8 | NEW | *Yoshi and the Mysterious Book* |
\n| 9 | 12 | *Call of Duty: Black Ops 7* |
\n| 10 | 10 | *Mario Kart World* |<\/p>\n

*Note: Games marked with asterisks indicate projections of sales where complete digital data is not available.*<\/p>\n

#### Summary<\/p>\n

In summary, May 2026 underscored important trends within the gaming sector, highlighting notable success for the Nintendo Switch 2 while revealing the challenges faced by Xbox and PlayStation amid rising hardware costs. The abundance of new game releases and their robust sales point to a vibrant software market, setting a captivating stage for the months ahead as gamers anticipate further developments in the competitive hardware arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}