Some retailers are reportedly preparing stores and customers for a shortage of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles ahead of the 2026 holiday season. The shortage will coincide with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 on PS5 and Xbox consoles.
Shortages have been nothing new in the gaming industry in recent months, with growing demand for components causing massive supply issues. The rise of AI data centers has led to significant shortages for RAM chips, causing the price of RAM to spike for both the computer and games industries. Many companies have already begun to adjust their prices to compensate for the lack of available components, including Apple recently raising prices on several popular devices, such as MacBook and iPad products. Now, a major retailer is reportedly gearing up for shortages of both Sony and Microsoft’s premier gaming consoles.
Retailers Are Already Planning for Holiday Console Shortages
In a statement shared by TheGameBusiness, an anonymous source for a major games retailer warned about shortages during the holiday shopping season. The anonymous source suggested that “demand will outstrip supply” during late 2026 thanks to Grand Theft Auto 6‘s launch in November. Neither Sony nor Microsoft has made any official statements regarding potential console shortages to come, though both have addressed the RAM shortages.
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With the console market expected to be particularly impacted by RAM shortages, both Microsoft and Sony have touched on the issue. Microsoft has already raised the price of Xbox consoles multiple times, most recently confirming new Xbox price hikes to go into effect on August 1 across multiple models of the Xbox Series X and Series S. Sony similarly raised prices for PlayStation 5 consoles in April, with the standard disc drive version of the console now retailing for $649.99, though the company previously stated it would have enough consoles to last throughout the 2026 calendar year.
The expected console shortages come as both companies have already been giving fans a reason to upgrade. Sony previously sent out emails to active Grand Theft Auto 5 players on PlayStation 4, encouraging PS4 users to upgrade to PS5 before the official release of Grand Theft Auto 6. Many new games have also begun to exclude last-gen consoles from their launch plans, with one of the most notable examples coming with the reveal of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Many popular free-to-play games have also begun to wind down support for older consoles, including Genshin Impact in late 2025 and Call of Duty: Warzone following Modern Warfare 4‘s release.
RAM shortages are expected to impact the gaming industry far beyond the availability of consoles during the holiday season. Prominent chip manufacturer Micron suggested in December 2025 that the RAM shortage could last beyond 2026, following the company’s decision to sunset its consumer RAM production. The upcoming release of Valve’s Steam Machine is also believed to have been affected by the rising price of RAM, with Valve recently confirming the console will retail for more than $1,000 for the base 512 GB version. Gamers could be in for a bumpy and expensive ride throughout the coming months, with no signs of the RAM shortage easing in the near future.
