A few weeks ago, we posted a story about Circana's latest US sales figures showing Xbox consoles down 50% year-on-year, and now outlet VGChartz has shared similar findings in terms of worldwide sales data for current-gen Xbox consoles.
According to the outlet, January 2025 sales for Xbox Series X|S are down 48.7% on January 2024. During the first month of last year, Microsoft sold 408,817 of these consoles - while Jan. '25 figures say the company sold just 209,728 Xbox Series X|S units.
Interestingly, VGChartz also breaks down these sales figures into specific regions - which shines a particular light on European data. Xbox Series X|S sold just 38,581 in that region in January of this year - a region where we're starting to see reports of low stock levels for Xbox Series X specifically.
While we can't really confirm or deny all low stock reports — as this sort of thing is very hard to track across multiple countries and retailers — we can take a quick look at UK stock to see how things are faring over here. At the time of posting, major UK retailers such as Currys, GAME, Argos, Smyths and Amazon are all out of standard edition Xbox Series X stock - although certain retailers do seem to have the white all-digital edition available in limited quantities.
Xbox Series S seems completely unaffected by those stock issues here in the UK though, so it's tough to say how much of an impact that's having on these dropping sales figures reported by the likes of Circana and VGChartz. Still, it's interesting that Microsoft doesn't seem to be prioritising Series X stock in multiple regions at this point - and we'll be keeping track of this in the weeks and months ahead.
What do you make of all this, PX readers? Talk to us about the situation down in the comments.
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[source vgchartz.com]
Comments 53
It's very hard to buy a new series x over here in Ireland luckily I got mine before the stocks went down but there's no stock anywhere I check but cex had plenty of secondhand ones 🤷
As for the sales this is ancient news now it's never going to change till next gen actual news would be if they went up!!
That said the sky is still blue guys and water is wet still🙏
This has been a very weird console generation, Nintendo notwithstanding.
We're now into March so the theory of it being due to Christmas seems less likely. I think they are diverting Series X hardware for use in their Xcloud server blades. It would align with how much they seem to want to be a cloud platform than a console one these days.
And what idiot bought this up sometime ago and they posted an article on it back then. 🤣
Some retailers are saying stock April 2025.
That will be at least a whole month with no stock.
Also Xbox all access has stopped in the UK as well as of last week. So no bundle deal that was interest free with monthly payments. I thought it was a great idea.
This all starred back in late December 2024.
Sometimes you do have wonder what Microsoft are up to and give some like myself much doubt over a next generation under the TV standard Xbox home console.
What gets me is over 50% of game pass subscriptions are on Xbox consoles a good attach rate. Are thinking no more game pass in the future as well as consoles.
Looking at all the above Microsoft really don’t seem to want to sell consoles and maybe even consoles linked to game pass.
I am guessing that MS doesn't see much point in overstocking console that are likely to sit on shelves for a while before they are sold. Since the Xbox is down in sales I personally think MS will be the next one to announce and launch their next console. I am guessing that the next version of the Xbox will sell at near the price of the current generation console.
@Kezelpaso
This article is wrong.
There are zero SERIES S stock at Argos or Game.
So series s is affected stock wise in the UK.
OldGamer999 wrote:
What is the source of this stat? And is it still valid and not outdated?
Argos has Series S stock for me, it's location based, but agree about Game.
@themightyant most recent figures said it was around 80% on console. (MS well known for hiding figures)
GPU isn’t growing at any sort of big numbers (latest financials show this) they only reported growth in PC GP.
So logic would dictate that majority of users are still on console.
All the pro versions of the Xbox are for the real fans. We seem to be a shrinking number 🥲
I am still happy the Series S is there as I've been able to convince a couple of friends to get it since they don't game often & don't want to spend hundreds on a PS5 or X.
@OldGamer999 When I put my postcode in at Argos, the nearest 10 stores all have stock readily available, so I consider that pretty readily available.
As for GAME, you're right. I genuinely have no idea what GAME are trying to sell these days 😅
@Rodimusprime13 they should honestly make Xboxes like they do their custom controllers. Let people pick from a base model with refunds and pay more for design with no returns. Then they lose their stock issues & can control production better. Cut out the middle man and save millions on supply chain management and shipping costs.
A strange generation indeed but gaming is going to evolve and change like everything else tech related and often in unpredictable fashion. The Series X is an excellent console, it just had an uphill battle to contend with after the Xbox One generation. Personally, I'm going all in on PC and VR from now on. Gamepass is cheaper and not tied to online multiplayer. The only thing I'll miss is day one PlayStation exclusives but I haven't been a day one gamer for a while - sales are frequent.
@Kilamanjaro Yes exactly I don't understand why they don't do that when there a literally hundreds of different style controllers you can buy!
They probably want us to buy the stupid overpriced wraps for the consoles that are basically stickers!!
Even if Xbox intend to sell hardware going forward, they sure as hell don't intend to sell physical games so I wonder if this might be just selling through disc based hardware and not restocking it because the next box will not have a disc drive and the hand held certainly won't.
I predict all digital for Xbox next gen in whatever format that takes.
@Kezelpaso argos is location specific. I’m NW England. No stock nearby.
No stock on major online retailers either - stuff like shopto, gamecollection.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Right yeah, that's annoying. Generally speaking though, it's not particularly tough to find a Series S.
@Kezelpaso
Thank you for reply.
I guess Argos depends on region.
My nearest 7 have zero stock of series s
It’s all a bit weird behaviour by a trillion dollar company with more employees and system to enable stock not to be in short supply.
That’s why I say it’s intentional and get concerned over future Xbox home consoles.
If Sony or Nintendo had run low like this they would have posted a statement saying why and probably an apology as well.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner 80% on console... Really? That sounds dubious to me. Do you have a source / link? I keep my ear to the ground on this, and don't remember seeing it being that high, even in rumours.
I agree Microsoft is very cagey about giving actual figures, but we can read between the lines of what they say, and often it's also clear from what the DON'T say. Currently it's likely console subscribers are falling. Why might we logically come to this conclusion?
Microsoft announced PC subscribers were up 30%, but they also announced revenue from services (Game pass) was ONLY up 2% therefore, logically, console subscribers are down or the numbers don't really add up. Additionally there was also a price hike that quarter so you would expect revenue to be up more than 2% if subscriber numbers remained constant, suggesting a larger drop off.
@Medic_alert Which is guaranteed to make my first Xbox (series X) my last Xbox.
@themightyant
I heard it was just over 50% on game pass subs on consoles, which is pretty good.
The worrying parts is all other billions of devices that can have some form of game pass, must be very low considering how many devices game pass can run on.
The reason most companies hide numbers, is because they are not good.
Just for fun, if Microsoft shut off consoles tomorrow and game pass with refunds and went all publisher, I would not be shocked just a little surprised and say, there you go 🤣
And all the time there you will see people say there is nothing to see here, which truly baffles me...
Thank you for the article, the situation is really dire, it’s pretty clear how Microsoft already has scaled hardware back substantially, and they are indeed taking the Surface route, continuing making first-party hardware but being ridiculous hard to get being available only at the MS Store, which itself isn’t available in most regions outside the US, meaning that Xbox hardware is essentially dead for most of the world.
I’d have expected for them to just continue having Series X|S consoles available for the rest of the generation and move slowly towards a Surface Xbox but no, Microsoft is literally in a rush to kill the Xbox we know and love, and the concern we had about that within 5-10 years would be very hard to get an Xbox console is already a reality in 2025!
Every time I think Microsoft can’t do something more baffling they just do, in no good conscience will I ever invest in a Microsoft product or service ever again, interestingly they just announced Skype’s closure, yet another service MS mismanaged to oblivion.
@Kilamanjaro Not a bad idea so long as the consoles have reasonable shipping costs. I think the biggest mistake was outsourcing the memory card to a third party which has inflated the price. Everything should be available from MS with the possible option for third party accessories. I think they are intentionally under stocking to gear up for the next Xbox console. I think it possible they might launch a new console in fall 2025 or sometime in 2026.
@themightyant my apologies I misread the article. It doesn’t state 80%
@dskatter I'm sure there will be lots of people that feel the same but MS clearly don't care about that.
I mean they may do an add on drive for b/c purposes but given that they have dropped a fair few games now with no physical copies and outside of COD none of the games they have dropped on other consoles have had a physical copy then I think this is inevitable at this point.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner I think you are mixing up a couple of stats here. That it was estimated 70-80% of users who had Game Pass were on Game Pass Ultimate. Though I believe this was from two and half years ago, before Xbox Live Gold switched to Game Pass Core which would likely have changed things. (edit - just seen your post above)
@OldGamer999 I've seen other people say the same, but still not seen any evidence of it, no one ever seems able to provide a credible source, which is why I asked. I accept it's hard to know for sure because Microsoft don't often put out numbers, but i'd take that with a heavy pinch of salt.
The last official Game Pass subscriber count was 34 million at last year's Xbox business update, including PC and Core (formerly Xbox live Gold) as they later clarified but it's likely subscribers haven't grown much, if at all since, as their revenue isn't growing much (only 2%) despite a Game Pass price hike.
As for consoles the last official split we had from the FTC leak 75% Series S, 25% Series X but that was data as of early 2022 (edit).
Probably winding down the X and S console production and moving onto the new one.
I still don’t think Xbox will leave the hardware game. But if they did and they didn’t bring their controller to PS. Then i would buy a Razer laptop with a 5090 in it. I am starting to throw a few dollars a month back on the side to save up just in case. While i prefer to be on Xbox over PC. I can’t see myself gaming only on the PS controller. It’s not my favorite layout. It’s ok, but not something i would play Shooters and others on. So i would go PC and Xbox controller. But i think we continue to see Xbox consoles. But they need to find a way to get excitement around their hardware and they seem to be making that tough at the moment. Sadly cause i love my Series X.
@Medic_alert I can’t blame them for it. I can DESPISE them for it, but can’t blame them.
Oh, well. Clearly MS doesn’t want more of my money, and I’m happy to go along with their wishes!
@HonestHick They aint getting out the hardware game. Not even close. People are quick to forget that, although this gen seems like it's gone past in the blink of an eye, we're nearly five years in (Xbox One was around for seven years before the next gen arrived, and eight years for the 360). If 2026 is the year of the next Xbox, that'd peg it at six years.
I personally, where I am, have no issues getting a hold of a Series console. I don't doubt the article at all, but I certainly don't tether that to Xbox stepping out of the game. Not when we know the hardware teams are currently making the next Xbox, upgraded controllers, and toying with handheld. That to me doesn't scream "Xbox are bowing out" - in fact quite the opposite.
Especially when we consider that their game output is stronger now than it's ever been. It'd be silly to assume that Xbox are packing up shop now that they've finally found a very commendable stride (on the back of forking out tens of billions on acquisitions). Either way, only time will tell but I have every faith that their next console will surprise many - based on the bits we know about it so far. I think a lot of people are going to have yolk on their face.
@Kaloudz love your positivity on a forum of utter doom-mongering! Nice to read someone who is just happy and excited to play games on their Xbox and doesn't take it all so seriously.
@Scrubchub Thanks bro I just don't see it the way a fair few here do - and all the moves MS have been making lately doesn't exactly paint the picture of a company looking for a way out. It just seems like MS have become the EA / Nickelback of the console space lol. I don't get why, I've never had an issue.
@Kaloudz I agree, they won't get out of the console space. I think even with the current numbers, they're making around $1 billion in revenue on console sales and from what I understand they do have a high attach rate on digital games per console so not sure anyone would let a billion in revenue go. I'll prob swap to PC after this gen anyway & keep the XSX as long as possible since my library has like 150 titles on it hehe
What you are neglecting to take into consideration when you talk about how long the 360 and One generations were, @Kaloudz, is that the 360 generation was extended by the introduction of the 360 slim, and the One was extended by the X. Microsoft cancelled the mid-generation refresh for this generation in order to concentrate on the next generation. That means that they could easily be two years ahead of where they were in previous generations. Microsoft likely realised the law of diminishing returns that Sony gamers have experienced with the Pro, where many gamers are regretting having invested in a Pro simply because it is not a truly noticeable upgrade over the PS5. That's not to say that it isn't better, but many of those that had already spent £500 on a PS5, and then spent £700-£800 on the Pro, are regretting the decision to buy it.
Microsoft were astute enough to realise that people want a proper advancement in the quality of their experience. Having realised that 2 or 3 years ago, they could easily be well into the development of the next console. My money remains on a reveal this year; possibly at the Summer Showcase, but more likely at the Game Awards in December, with a release in 2026.
I think the truly interesting thing will be how many Prime's Microsoft make before it is released. How confident will they be in their ability to shift the console in numbers. Will it be sweaty palms when trying to pre-order it. Will it sell out when released, or will it be possible be possible to walk into a store days and weeks later and simply pick one up...
I’m like @Kaloudz. I’m just here to enjoy games on my favourite console. If and when a new one comes out or does not is when I’ll start considering my future options. That said, I will prolly still keep my XSX and game on it till it dies on me. As for stock issues, it stands to reason that MS would limit production with sales dwindling.
@Kaloudz Agreed. I don’t see them leaving Hardware. Will it be different? Sure, will it launch before PS6, i would say yes. But it’s coming and I think it will look very much like a PC and maybe even let us open it up for smaller upgrades like seen on a gaming laptop. But i am looking forward to the new controller. I absolutely love the Xbox controller layout. It’s perfect. So any updates and improvements is really exciting to me. Can’t wait to learn more about the next Xbox and looking forward to all the great titles coming out in the next few years. As you said they are hitting that stride now with a lot of games coming.
Up until recently I could get the Series X in my area and Series S 512GB is readily available in my area. The stock in certain areas has been patchy so far this year though. I think we are on the final 18 month run up to a next gen Xbox.
The sales of the Xbox does not affect me. I'm invested into the Xbox Ecosystem because of the Software and platform services not the hardware. Once Xbox stops making consoles I will just get a PC and have the same (if not better) experience there or on cloud.
@HonestHick Exactly, and as we all well and know from just the last two gens on Xbox, different doesn't equate to awful. Has Xbox made mistakes? Oh, hell yes. Have they remedied and learned from them? Absolutely. I mean just look at the major arguments over the years. People moaned about low res Xbox games (due to the Kinect demands) and we ended up with "The Monster" - the most powerful machine of its time.
People moaned about MS mismanaging its studios - and we've had major restructures over the last two years. People moaned about lack of games - and now look, we have that many games that MS are having to delay their own titles to make space. Anyone that thinks MS isn't in this for the long-haul will be in for a major shock come next gen. It's going to be cool - it's going to be different - and it's going to be feature competitive (which is exciting in its own right). I cant wait.
@gollumb82 Yup! That's the way it needs to be. I mean who really loads up their games at night and worries about any of the corporate stuff? No one. We load up a game and get lost in the world. Everything above and beyond that is for the suits. Period.
@Fiendish-Beaver That's actually a very interesting point. The fact that the 1X and the 360 Slim extended a gen's lifespan. With no need for that this gen (as you say, they did it day one) then it could be a slightly shorter gen. I don't think 2026 is out of the question - in fact I think 2026 is pretty perfect.
Especially since we don't really have gen-gates anymore - like we did when it was OG > 360 or 360 > One. I'm very keen to see what they've got to show off when the time comes and my only hope is that somewhere in these feature-rich plans - they give some love to the achievement system.
@Kilamanjaro Precisely. I truly think the next gen is going to wow us on features. We're practically on parity - and have been for a while - with competitive hardware. So much so that we don't hear the arguments anymore about "1080p on PS and only 900p on Xbox lolz". They'll come out the gates with less focus on capability (they'll remain on-par and as powerful as competitive hardware I think) and more focus on amazing features that turn heads. Like you, I have quite an extensive library so I'll not be turning away any time soon lol.
Fake news!
Everything is an Xbox now. Sales are actually up.
Xbox is on fire! It is insane to think that even tough the Series X has been out for years, people are still fighting over for the right to own one! Xbox Series X will most likely be the most sold console ever, if they just manage to get enough consoles to retailers. It is a good problem to have, that you are out of stock all the time, just means that there is still lot of people waiting to join the best console family!
To me it was weird that the 2TB update of the Series X seems to only have been made available through the Galaxy Black limited edition, but now I'm seeing that even the normal one is hard to find.
I’m sure they’re will restock soon, but i’m getting kinda concerned for other reasons as well, i hope they can fix it in time for the next showcase, but that’s my 2 cents
Guessing they know they'be lost this gen n not many people probs gunna upgrade this far in and hope to grab people next gen? Especially now they getting some decent games out n gamepass is although getting less indies it seems 😭 they getting 1st party day one going on some Better games😎🙂
Over here in Germany, it doesn't look much better. Amazon doesn't have the Series X on stock. But I think, I would get one here at other retailers.
But it's a bit scary indeed. I hope this will change soon.
@Onlyboxmatters yeah, that'll be it 🤣
Xbox Series X|S doesn't look like even Microsoft has been interested in selling it for the past few years.
Low inventory, no publicity, no buzz.
You can't find the Series X on any major retailer in Finland, it's been out of stock since around Christmas, only Series S. This is a Playstation country after all.
Sounds like the next xbox is really coming in 2026...
@themightyant The path to Leadership in gaming Slide that leaked(the one with the Gamepass projections/targets that goes up to 2030) had a starting point at the beginning of FY2023 in which Gamepass Subs were over 80% “Console First”. This was presumably the real numbers at the point the projections were made. I couldn’t say how it’s changed from then but I would say that a 30% increase on a small number is still a pretty small number. For example if that’s 5m to 6.5m it’s not a major change.
https://insider-gaming.com/microsoft-could-leave-the-gaming-business-if-xbox-game-pass-doesnt-grow/
The Circana monthly reports for the US now give a breakdown for Series X. For the last year it’s mostly been around 60% Series X if I recall correctly.
@ChrisDeku thanks for this, I’ve not analysed this slide in detail before. Though that chart is all about future plans, right? It’s an estimate of things that might come to pass (and in fact very little has, no universal controller, no mid gen console, no 60M GP subscribers by 2025, even next gen in FY2028 seems unlikely).
It’s not clear whether the start of the chart is also a projection, or when the chart was even made, there are no hard numbers, and it too might be an estimate.
EDIT 2: On review in fact it’s almost certainly an inflated estimate as they didn’t have anywhere near to 45 million total Game Pass subscribers in FY2023 as they later announced 34 million in Feb 2024 at the business update.
EDIT 1: I’d also agree that a 30% increase of a small number is still a small number… but it’s not the only quarter they have mentioned significant PC growth in the last two years, it seems like it has been an area that has been growing more consistently for a while. Though I think we don’t have enough data to make any firm conclusions. That’s kinda been my point.
Re: Series X v Series S. I believe the data Circana gives is US only, correct? Whereas the Xbox data from the leak was global. Additionally the Circana data is also not a running tally it’s only for each month, right? I agree it’s likely Series X is faring a little better now but considering how much sales have fallen off a cliff in the last year or two it’s likely still behind Series S unless Europe and ROW are disproportionately buying Series X over the S.
@xboxjapanfan they need to bundle it with more sports title, F2P games and COD. The games everyone plays & then market it as powerful & affordable compared to PS. Having some sleek colors on the S or X would also help with sales. Like a red or blue Series S bundled with some fun titles seems like a no brainer. People love custom colors and fun colors. Like Series S should seriously be heavily marketed to wayyy more demographics with some hardcore focus for the XSX
Understandable because of whatever games come around, or people buying/selling the console for their use cases.
Towerborne won't sell much, Avowed may. South of Midnight could but I doubt it. A sports game/COD game, or bundle of those.
Or other types of games/colour variations.
Why not different colours, game branded ones to line up with different games, old ones, new ones, have a third party controller they make a deal with and console bundle with a particular theme.
That gets collectors buying more then 1 system or people jumping on board right? That works. Nintendo does it and it gets many to buy their systems. Xbox/Sony on occasion do.
Otherwise I assume they don't care, they make enough controller designs and will continue to do that I guess rather then care about the consoles and just push for software/apps/streaming it seems.
Or a digital only next Xbox I guess, whatever it's series/next gen family name will be besides it's possible besides the prior designs/mockup a few years ago now.
There will be another Xbox but it will be essentially a gaming PC running Windows IMO. Like Alienware.
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