Xbox sales were worst ever in 2025
Console sales were down almost 40 per cent in the UK
by Ali Shutler · NMEIt’s been reported that Xbox suffered its “worst year on record” for console sales in the UK last year.
According to The Game Business‘ Chris Dring, Xbox console sales were down 39 per cent in 2025 in the UK, “making it comfortably their worst year on record”. By contrast, PlayStation console sales were down 12 per cent in 2025.
According to IGN last November, Xbox console sales in the US were down 70 per cent. Last year, Microsoft confirmed price hikes for both the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass, while several exclusive Xbox titles such as Halo were made available on rival consoles for the first time. The company scrapped a planned increase on the cost of games following backlash though.
The Xbox Series X/S was originally launched in 2020 with a new Xbox rumoured to launch at some point in 2027. Not much is known about the next-generation Xbox but it will apparently
“deliver the next generation of graphics innovation [and] unlock a deeper level of visual quality, immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI.” It will also be “fully compatible” with users’ existing Xbox game library.
However some fans are worried it’ll be very expensive. “The next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” Xbox president Sarah Bond said in an interview last year. “You’re starting to see some of the thinking we have in this handheld [ROG Xbox Ally], but I don’t want to give it all away.”
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Some experts are also worried Grand Theft Auto 6’s delay from May to November 2026 might have a knock-on effect on the launch of the PlayStation 6 and the new Xbox. “We are currently forecasting a next-gen PlayStation and Xbox to arrive in late 2027 – but might the console companies be tempted to get more from the current console generation by riding the GTA 6 wave and waiting until 2028,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, gaming research director at market research company Ampere.
In other news, Minecraft has announced a collaboration with Stranger Things to mark the end of the Netflix epic.