Video Game Spending Significantly Decreases Among Young Americans

Young folks in the 18 to 24 age range are apparently tightening their belts on buying Nintendo games and such—it’s something to ponder. Yeah, even with the shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 making waves, it’s not all about gaming bliss. Life stuff, like job hunting, juggling credit debts, and those pesky student loans, seem to have a bigger say in their spending choices these days. Go figure.

Anyway, the gaming world’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, huh? So on July 2, Microsoft did its thing—chopping off over 9,000 jobs. That kind of hit the Xbox studios like a chilling inside wind. Projects like Perfect Dark? Canceled. Warcraft Rumble? It’s in maintenance, so don’t expect juicy new content. Just bug fixes—yay?

Switching gears—or maybe I’m just rambling—I stumbled across some price tag shuffles. Nintendo, for instance, has started messing with prices of its original Switch consoles and stuff in some areas. Meanwhile—brace yourselves—Xbox’s console prices and future game titles are on an upward trend too. The Outer Worlds 2, next big thing from Obsidian, is gonna start at $80. Ouch. But hey, Xbox Game Pass might save the day if you play your cards right.

Oh, speaking of numbers and spending—and this bit’s juicy—young Americans dropped their video game expenditures by a whopping 25% in April 2025 versus last year. Older folks, though, eased off just about two percent. Dramatic, right? Yeah, working those budgets, wrestling with loans, and surviving this amusing thing called adulting—quite the juggling act.

And, let’s not forget, all these tariffs on imports hitting our wallets—yeah, they’re shaking up more than just game prices. How everyone’s spending in the rest of 2025? Man, that’s anyone’s guess. But one thing’s clear—life isn’t getting any cheaper.

But hey, Nintendo’s new Switch 2 line hit earlier this June—trying to tame that beast of excitement with its hybrid wonder. Goes from home docked 4K magic to handheld 1080p antics, if that tickles your fancy. Bundled joy with some Mario Kart action, Joy-Con 2, cool straps—and with all these nifty gadgets, it’s almost like unboxing a tiny piece of gaming heaven. But are people buying it like hotcakes? Maybe, maybe not. Life’s in the way. Ah well, such is life.