When looking back, one of the biggest stories in 2025 in the gaming industry was the wide range of price hikes across the entire ecosystem. Consoles, subscription services, PCs, and individual games all saw increased prices. It caused quite a stir, with many gamers announcing their frustration at the sudden pressure on their wallets.
Of course, gamers can easily cut costs by being discerning. You can play many retro games online for free, including on this very platform. There are also plenty of freemium games that can be enjoyed without in-game purchases. You can even play real money casino games in demo mode on many major iGaming platforms.
Yet, if we are looking at the industry as a whole, things have been tough. And in 2026, things might get even more expensive. Below, we look at five reasons why those 2025 price hikes might just be the beginning:
- Competition for Components
It’s well documented that the AI boom has coincided with unprecedented demand for power and components, putting pressure on supply. And the AI sector is competing with the gaming sector for access to those products. In short, AI data centers need RAM too, and the likes of ASUS have already announced price rises, citing pressure on RAM and storage. Dell and Framework have also announced significant price rises. A study suggests that gaming hardware is now $200 more expensive today than it was in 2019.
- Tariff Threats Haven’t Gone Away
The political line from the White House is that tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump have not caused direct inflation. And to be fair, there is some data to back those claims. However, a lot of experts agree that the impact of tariffs has not been fully felt yet, and many companies, including those in the ecosystem of the gaming sector, have signaled that the pressure to raise prices as a direct result of tariffs is growing. What’s more, we know, for good or for ill, that Trump uses tariffs as a threat, so it is possible that he could introduce more in 2026.
- The Genie Is Already Out of the Bottle
We are used to tech products getting cheaper over the course of their lifetime. Yet, we saw in August that the PlayStation 5 was given a price hike, rising 10% in the US following rises elsewhere. A reminder that the console was released five years ago. It is almost unprecedented to see ‘older’ technology given a price hike. But now that it has happened, others have followed suit. And it could easily happen again.
- The $80 Game Is No Longer a Psychological Barrier
Once one game company does it, others will follow suit. We have already seen Mario Kart World for the Switch 2 being touted at $79.99. Now, the question is, what will be the price point for Grand Theft Auto VI? Will it be the first $100 AAA game? It’s due to arrive (finally) in November 2026, and you can be fairly certain that the price point will be a topic of discussion for a game that was hugely expensive to develop.
- Retro Gaming Accessories Are Also Seeing Price Rises
We’ll finish with something that can’t really be put down to inflation, tariffs, or demand for resources. The cost of items like the Nintendo 3DS, first released in 2011, has suddenly seen price rises on platforms like eBay. The reasons for the demand are unclear and could possibly be put down to a trend in the consoles, which are particularly popular with modders. Yet, it is another example of increased pressure on all aspects of the gaming sector.
