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.
Xbox's Project Helix may not be immune to the widespread memory shortage, as the Xbox CEO states that it will certainly be a factor in the future.
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"...
