Circana Executive Director and Video Game Industry Analyst Mat Piscatella has revealed some worrying trends about the video game console market in the US in recent years.
The number of young adults (18-24-year-olds) purchasing video game consoles has dropped from 10 percent in the 12-month period ending July 2022 down to just three percent for the 12-month period ending July 2025.
“From Circana’s Checkout service: $100K+ income households now account for 43% of US video game hardware purchases, up from 36% just a few years ago,” said Piscatella.
“18–24-year-olds accounted for only 3% VG hardware purchases during the 12-months ending July 2025, down from 10% during the 12 months ending July 2022.”
Also higher income households – Over $100,000 – now account for 43 percent of video game console sales in the US. This is up from 36 percent a few years ago.
This data was posted in response to an opinion piece written by Rob Fahey on GamesIndustry about the price of video game consoles being an issue.
Fahey stated “if today’s kids and teens aren’t engaging with PlayStation, it’s very unlikely they’ll start doing so as twenty-somethings or thirty-somethings.” Piscatella agreed with Fahey. “We’re seeing signs of this happening right now.”
Piscatella doesn’t think video game consoles are going anywhere, however, he sees them becoming more like hybrid devices.
“Consoles aren’t going anywhere, “he stated. “Parts of the audience will always want the shiny new box to play games on their shiny new TVs.
“Consoles will likely start leaning towards being hybrid devices, and likely be more enthusiast-focused (and expensive) to best meet the wants/needs of that audience.”
In previous video game generations the price of hardware would come down over time, however, this generation has seen the opposite happen.
Sony Interactive Entertainment increased the price of the PS5 in the US late last month by $50 for all three models. Sony also increased the price of the PS5 in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in April of this year.
Nintendo increased the price of the original Nintendo Switch in the US and Canada in early August by up to $50. Microsoft increased the price of the Xbox Series X and S in May by $80 for the Xbox Series S and $100 for the Xbox Series X in the US.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
Full Article – https://www.vgchartz.com/article/465671/circana-data-shows-fewer-young-adults-are-purchasing-video-game-consoles/