Video game hardware sales in the US experienced a significant decline in November 2025, with total spending amounting to $695 million, marking a 27% decrease compared to the previous year. This drop, reported by market analyst company Circana, represents the lowest November spending for video game hardware since 2005 when $455 million was recorded.
The sales decline can be attributed in part to the increased costs of consoles. Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles celebrated their fifth anniversaries in November, contributing to higher prices due to recent price hikes. The average price paid for a new unit of video game hardware reached an ‘all-time November high’ of $439, an 11% increase from 2024, contrasting sharply with the $235 average price in November 2019.
Despite the sales decline, the PlayStation 5 emerged as the best-selling hardware of the month in terms of both units and dollars, surpassing the Nintendo Switch 2 which ranked second. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 retained its position as the top-selling game, although the franchise experienced a double-digit percentage decrease in full game dollar sales compared to November 2024.
Activision’s recent announcement to alter its Call of Duty release strategy, discontinuing the back-to-back release of Modern Warfare and Black Ops titles, reflects the evolving dynamics of the gaming industry.
Source: The Verge
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