The PS5 has its biggest week of sales in 2026 prior to its recent price hike, followed by the lowest two weeks of the year.
During the latest episode of The Game Business Show, host Christopher Dring spoke with Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor at Circana, about the current state of the games industry, hardware pricing, and shifting consumer behavior, and the impact of the recent PS5 price hike on the console’s sales in the US.
According to Piscatella, the announcement of the price hike triggered a major short-term spike in PS5 demand before sales quickly dropped off afterward. He explained that the console “had the biggest week of the year, the week [of] the announcement [and] subsequently had its two lowest weeks of performance since.”
The Circana analyst noted that the hardware surge helped contribute to an overall stronger month of March for the US games market. “Between those games and the hardware selling, it was a really nice month overall in terms of the market performance,” he said, especially compared to the same period last year. However, he cautioned that the long-term impact of the PS5 price hike remains uncertain. He described the situation as a “wait and see approach.”
Piscatella also shared that hardware buyers are increasingly concentrated among higher-income households, stating that “well over half of video game hardware buyers are $100,000 plus household income level.” He also pointed out that the average price of a piece of hardware has risen dramatically in recent years, climbing from roughly $250 in 2019 to likely over $500 now in a matter of only a few years.
The discussion also touched on concerns surrounding future hardware pricing, particularly with games like GTA VI expected to drive renewed mainstream interest in consoles. The Circana analyst said that many consumers looking to pick up a console for the latest entry in the Grand Theft Auto series may face a price shock, adding that he has “already assumed we’re going to get more price increases.”
