Digital-only made up 66% of Xbox sales in 2025 amid console price hike

More than half of all Xbox consoles sold in the US in 2025 were digital-only devices, new data from Circana reveals.

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The days of physical media seem to be numbered as more and more consumers are choosing to buy cheaper, disc-less video game consoles. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, 66% of Xbox Series consoles that were sold in the United States throughout 2025 didn't have a physical media drive.

Interestingly enough, PlayStation gamers are also moving towards digital as well: 49% of PS5 sales in the US were also digital-only, and this includes the PS5 Pro model, which is digital-only by default. All new PS5 models are also digital-only by default, showing a clear funneling of consumers to Sony's more lucrative and profitable sector, software and services.

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So what does this tell us? First-off, it shows that Xbox users seem more willing to buy digital than PlayStation. This makes sense given the affordability of new games hardware.

Microsoft raised prices once in late 2024, and then again in mid-2025, setting new inflated prices for the holiday season. The digital-only Xbox Series S is still the cheapest option at $399, however this is a full $100 over its original launch MSRP of $299.

Xbox users are also incentivized to prioritize digital by virtue of the Xbox Game Pass subscription, which can become the primary means of accessing and playing games on Xbox consoles.

While digital adoption is high, it's possible that Microsoft didn't sell all that many console units throughout the critical tail-end holiday period of 2025; results show that Xbox holiday hardware revenue was at an all-time 12-year low.

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