Despite the success Nintendo Switch 2 since its launch in June, a new report said November sales of video game hardware in the US hit a low not seen since the mid-1990s. Although the Switch 2 ranked on the November 2025 sales charts in the US, the report stated that console spending decreased while console prices rose relatively compared to November 2024.
It's no secret that the Switch 2 has been a successful console for Nintendo, selling over 10 million units worldwide in its first four months of availability. However, the Switch's $2,449 starting price has been a point of contention for some consumers. During Black Friday 2025, Nintendo has decided not to apply any special Switch 2 bundles for customers 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 thanks to backwards compatibility, the lack of Nintendo's console bundle hasn't gone unnoticed by consumers. In comparison, Sony offered the PS5 Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle as an alternative, with prices up to $399 for the digital edition.
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Sales of video game hardware have fallen to lows not seen since the days of the SNES
However, the apparent success of the Switch 2 wasn't enough to stop the downward trend of the US console hardware market during November 2025. According to reports posted on Bluesky by Circana CEO Mat Piscatella, only 1.6 million consoles were sold across all platforms in the US during November 2025, a November low not seen since 1995. In November 1995, when consoles like the SNES, Sega Genesis, and the original PlayStation ruled the market, video game hardware sales in the US reached only 1.4 million units sold. Piscatella also said that monthly hardware spending was $695 million last month, down 27% from November 2024, and that it marks a 20-year low for hardware spending.
Although the Switch 2 ranked in the top three for consoles sold in the US during November 2025, the PS5 surpassed it. The NEX Playground system, which gave the PS5 a run for its money in mid-November, ranked third in terms of hardware units sold in the US, while the Xbox Series X/S was third in the dollar category. When it comes to 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-over-year increase, with a 16% increase in subscription spending along with a 2% increase in mobile game sales able to offset declines in console and PC content spending.
The news is worse for console buyers
Despite making a decent amount of money during November 2025, Piscatella said Xbox console sales in the US fell 70% year-over-year, an all-time low for Microsoft's console lineup during the month of November. The decline in hardware sales, particularly Xbox consoles, can be partly explained by rising hardware costs caused by various economic factors, including US government tariffs on various goods from countries such as China. The tariffs have already caused Microsoft to raise the price of Xbox Series X/S consoles twice in the US during 2025, which may have deterred potential customers from buying. To top it off, there have been rumors of another potential Xbox price hike, 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 prices from companies like Samsung effectively doubled during the fall 2025 season. Customers looking to get their hands on the Switch 2 may not want to wait until the holidays before potential price increases start piling up.
Sources: IGN, Nintendo Life
