PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S saw a significant drop in unit sales in May, according to new data from Circana.

May's US Video Game Market Notes from Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella detailed this slump, even as the month otherwise saw a 38% year-over-year increase in hardware spending. Sony sold 58% fewer PS5 units last month than in May 2025, as spending on the console dropped 43% year-over-year.

It was the fewest number of PlayStation consoles Sony has sold in May since May 2000, back when the original PlayStation was its only console on the market in the United States.

Meanwhile, Xbox's units sold fell by 12% between May 2025 and May 2026, making for the worst May performance since the Xbox debuted in November 2001. Oddly, Microsoft still saw hardware spending grow by 7% year-over-year despite the drop in units sold, likely due to the multiple price hikes Xbox consoles have received over the past year.

Generally, it seems the past year of price hikes is finally catching up to PlayStation and Xbox. Circana's data points out that the average price of PlayStation and Xbox hardware has increased by 33% and 22%, respectively. That's now clearly impacting how many people will go out and buy a new console, even in a month of high-profile releases like 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6, and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

The continued success of the Nintendo Switch 2, which Circana estimates has sold 5.9 million units in North America, ultimately offset the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S' poor performance. Hardware spending increased by 37% between May 2025 and May 2026. When you also factor in video game sales and accessories, spending increased by 3% year over year.

On Bluesky, Piscatella posted that May 2026 "will be last month with HW growth for a… while. Pricing and Switch 2 launch comp will be a nasty combo."

With GTA 6 launching in a few months, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone's Haunted Chocolatier is teeing up to be the next big "when the heck is it coming out" game. Announced five years ago, Barone has given a few updates and interviews on the status of the game, and in a new blog post, he wrote about the progress on his Stardew Valley follow-up.

"I know it's taking a long time. A big part of that is that I am being very thoughtful about every aspect of the game," Barone wrote. "The things in the game which the player will be interacting with or using very often need to be 'perfect.' They need to be seamless, clear, intuitive, satisfying, aesthetic."

Barone added that he'd spent time recently revisiting the recipe book for making chocolates, adding that this was one aspect of the game in particular he wanted to be flawless. Since this will be a major component in Haunted Chocolatier's gameplay, Barone wants it to present "just the right amount" of data to players that doesn't overwhelm. That's no easy task and a function that most players will likely take for granted, Barone wrote, saying that the process takes several rounds of iterations before he's finally satisfied.

Beyond that look behind the curtain, Barone explained that this process was also one of the reasons why he hadn't shown off much of Haunted Chocolatier at all. "Partly, it feels like I'm serving a half-baked bread. I would rather serve a fully baked bread. Also, I know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them early, I risk disappointing players if the final product does not match their expectations," Barone concluded.

Haunted Chocolatier doesn't have a release date yet, but Barone is aiming for his tale of creating sweet treats and running a confectionery store to be a spooky experience. For now, Barone and the rest of his team remain "knee-deep" in development on it.

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