Console Prices in Late 2026: What PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 Cost Now — and Why They Went Up

What happened?

2026 has been the most expensive year to buy a games console in a long time. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo each raised prices, in that order, and the increases were large: Sony's added at least $100 to every PS5 model, Microsoft's added $100 to $150 to every Xbox, and Nintendo raised the Switch 2 for the first time since its launch.

PlayStation 5: up in April

Sony announced new recommended prices on the PlayStation Blog on March 27, effective April 2, 2026. In the U.S., the PS5 went to $649.99, the PS5 Digital Edition to $599.99 and the PS5 Pro to $899.99, with the PlayStation Portal remote player at $249.99. Equivalent increases applied in the UK, Europe and Japan — for example, the PS5 is £569.99 in the UK and €649.99 in Europe. Sony attributed the change to continued pressures in the global economic landscape.

Xbox Series X|S: up in August

Microsoft's increase took effect worldwide on August 1, 2026. In the U.S., the Xbox Series S rose from $399.99 to $499.99 (512GB) and from $449.99 to $599.99 (1TB); the all-digital Xbox Series X rose from $599.99 to $749.99; and the standard Xbox Series X with a disc drive rose from $649.99 to $799.99. Microsoft also discontinued the 2TB Series X. According to coverage of Microsoft's announcement, the company said memory and storage costs for consoles had more than doubled and that it expects further increases into 2027. It is Microsoft's third console price rise since the start of 2025.

Nintendo Switch 2: up in September

Nintendo announced its first Switch 2 increase in May, apologizing to customers for the impact. Japan moved first, on May 25, from ¥49,980 to ¥59,980. The U.S. price rose from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, alongside increases in Canada (to C$679.99) and Europe (to €499.99). Nintendo described the change as a response to market conditions expected to last over the medium to long term.

Why prices keep rising

The common thread is memory. As AI data centers buy up enormous amounts of DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, chipmakers have prioritized those customers, and the price of the memory and storage that consoles depend on has climbed sharply. Consoles are hit especially hard because they are usually sold at thin margins — or at a loss — early in their lives, leaving little room to absorb higher component costs. Bloomberg's February report that Sony was considering delaying its next console to 2028 or 2029 cited the same shortage.

Why it matters

Console prices normally fall over a generation; this one is going the other way, five to six years in. For anyone buying hardware to play Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19, the entry price is now $599.99 for the cheapest PS5 and $499.99 for the cheapest Xbox Series S — and GTA VI itself costs $79.99. It also raises the stakes for the next generation: if current consoles cost this much, the PS6 and next Xbox may launch at prices well above anything seen before.

What we don't know

• •Whether any company will raise prices again before the holidays (none has announced plans)
• •How long the memory shortage lasts
• •Holiday discounts — retailers and platform holders haven't announced Black Friday pricing
• •Pricing for next-generation hardware, which hasn't been announced

Source context

PlayStation and Xbox prices come from Sony's and Microsoft's own announcements; Nintendo's figures come from its corporate release as reported by established outlets. U.S. prices are list prices before tax; retailers may sell for less. The memory-shortage explanation is the companies' own stated reason (Microsoft explicitly, Sony and Nintendo more generally) supported by industry reporting.