The Best Gaming Consoles in 2026

Best for playing anywhere

Nintendo Switch 2

$499.99 since September 1

Best Xbox

Xbox Series X

$799.99 since August 1

Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition

Best all-digital PS5

$599.99

Best budget

Nintendo Switch Lite

$229; handheld only

Best performance

Sony PlayStation 5 Pro

$899.99; no disc drive

Check Sony PlayStation 5 price

How do they compare?

Console prices in 2026 (official announcements; checked October 2026)
Console	Price now	Change	Disc drive	Source	Best for
PlayStation 5	$649.99	Raised April 2, 2026	Yes	PlayStation Blog	—
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition	$599.99	Raised April 2, 2026	No	PlayStation Blog	All-digital PlayStation players
PlayStation 5 Pro	$899.99	Raised April 2, 2026	No (add-on)	PlayStation Blog	The best PlayStation graphics
Xbox Series X	$799.99	Was $649.99	Yes	Xbox Wire / Windows Central	Xbox and Game Pass fans with a 4K TV
Xbox Series S (512GB)	$499.99	Was $399.99	No	Xbox Wire / Windows Central	A cheaper Xbox
Nintendo Switch 2	$499.99	Was $449.99	Cartridges	Nintendo	Playing on the TV and on the go
Nintendo Switch Lite	$229 (Wirecutter)	Unchanged	Cartridges	Wirecutter	Kids and budgets

The picks in detail

Best overall

1. Sony PlayStation 5

Best for: most people

Wirecutter’s^[1] best PS5 is the standard PlayStation 5 Slim with a disc drive, so you can play new or used PS5 and PS4 discs and watch 4K Blu-rays. Sony raised it to $649.99 on April 2, 2026, and Wirecutter lists it at $649 at Amazon and Walmart.

Price (Oct 2026): $649.99 Source

Pros

Huge game library
Plays discs and 4K Blu-rays

Cons

Much pricier after 2026 increases

Best for playing anywhere

2. Nintendo Switch 2

Best for: playing on the TV and on the go

Wirecutter’s^[1] pick if you want a console you can take with you, or if you prefer Nintendo’s games. Nintendo raised the price from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026; Wirecutter lists it at $499 at Amazon and Walmart.

Price (Oct 2026): $499.99 Source

Pros

Portable
Nintendo exclusives

Cons

Needs a microSD Express card for more storage

Check Nintendo Switch 2 price

Best Xbox

3. Xbox Series X

Best for: Xbox and Game Pass fans with a 4K TV

Wirecutter’s^[1] best Xbox if you have (or will buy) a 4K TV, want the best graphics, or want a disc drive. Microsoft raised the price by $150 on August 1, 2026, to $799.99 according to Windows Central’s^[4] price table.

Price (Oct 2026): $799.99 Source

Pros

4K graphics
Disc drive
Game Pass

Cons

Now the most expensive base console

Check Xbox Series X price

Best all-digital PS5

4. Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition

Best for: all-digital PlayStation players

Same graphics, processor, memory and storage as the standard PS5, without the disc drive. Wirecutter^[1] says it’s worth it if you don’t care about discs. $599.99 after Sony’s April 2026 increase.

Price (Oct 2026): $599.99 Source

Pros

Same hardware as the PS5
$50 cheaper

Cons

No discs, no used games

Check Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition price

Best for a cheaper Xbox

5. Xbox Series S

Best for: a cheaper Xbox

Wirecutter’s^[1] cheaper Xbox. It doesn’t take full advantage of 4K TVs and has no disc drive, but plays the same new games. The 512GB model rose to $499.99 on August 1, 2026, per Windows Central^[4].

Price (Oct 2026): $499.99 Source

Pros

Same games as Series X
Small

Cons

No disc drive
Not a true 4K console

Check Xbox Series S price

Best budget

6. Nintendo Switch Lite

Best for: kids and budgets

Wirecutter’s^[1] budget pick. It’s smaller and lighter than the Switch 2 and plays handheld only, so you can’t play couch multiplayer on a TV. It’s also limited to previous-generation Switch software. $229 at Amazon and Target per Wirecutter.

Price (Oct 2026): $229 Source

Pros

Cheapest Nintendo console
Light

Cons

No TV play
Older hardware

Check Nintendo Switch Lite price

Best performance

7. Sony PlayStation 5 Pro

Best for: the best PlayStation graphics

Wirecutter’s^[1] upgrade pick. It has the best performance of any PS5, Wi-Fi 7 and 2TB of storage, but the visual gains can be hard to spot from across the room and it has no disc drive. Sony raised it to $899.99 in April 2026.

Price (Oct 2026): $899.99 Source

Pros

Best PS5 performance
2TB storage

Cons

Very expensive
No disc drive

Check Sony PlayStation 5 Pro price

Also considered

Steam Deck OLED: Wirecutter’s^[1] best handheld gaming PC. Valve’s store lists it from $789 (512GB). See our handheld guide.

Xbox Series S (1TB): $599.99 since August 1, per Windows Central^[4].

PNY Express microSD card (256GB): Wirecutter’s pick for adding storage to a Switch 2.

The 2026 price increases

Sony raised PS5 prices on April 2, 2026. Microsoft added $100 to 512GB Xbox models and $150 to 1TB models on August 1 and discontinued the 2TB Series X. Nintendo raised the Switch 2 to $499.99 on September 1; original Switch prices didn’t change. See the sources below.

More gaming guides

See best gaming handhelds, TVs for PS5, monitors for PS5, gaming headsets and microSD cards for Switch 2.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best gaming console in 2026?

Wirecutter^[1] picks the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and, for play anywhere, the Nintendo Switch 2.

How much is a PS5 now?

$649.99 for the standard PS5, $599.99 for the Digital Edition and $899.99 for the PS5 Pro, after Sony’s April 2, 2026 increase.

How much is an Xbox Series X now?

$799.99 since August 1, 2026, per Windows Central^[4]. The Series S 512GB is $499.99.

What is the cheapest console?

The Nintendo Switch Lite, at $229 per Wirecutter^[1].

Sources

Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.

Wirecutter: The best game consoles (updated May 8, 2026) (nytimes.com)
PlayStation Blog: New price changes for PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal (March 27, 2026) (blog.playstation.com)
Xbox Wire: Xbox console price update (June 25, 2026) (news.xbox.com)
Windows Central: Xbox Series X|S prices after the August 2026 increase (windowscentral.com)
Nintendo: Price revision for Nintendo Switch 2 (May 7, 2026) (nintendo.com)

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED

The Switch 2 is cheaper, docks easily and pulls ahead in power when connected to a TV. The Steam Deck OLED has the better screen, a faster CPU, more memory and your Steam library, but now starts at $789.

Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S

The Series X targets native 4K with three times the GPU power. The Series S is smaller, digital-only and still the cheapest way into current Xbox games, but it now costs $499.99.

PS5 Pro vs PS5

The PS5 Pro adds stronger ray tracing, PSSR upscaling, Wi-Fi 7 and 2TB of storage, but only in games that support it. It has no disc drive, and in October 2026 it was hard to find at list price.

PS5 vs Xbox Series X

After 2026’s price increases, the disc PS5 is $150 cheaper than the Xbox Series X. Pick the PS5 for PlayStation’s first-party games and the DualSense controller, or the Xbox for Game Pass and the best backward compatibility.

PS5 vs Nintendo Switch 2

These consoles do different jobs. The $499.99 Switch 2 works on the TV and in your hands and runs Nintendo’s family-friendly exclusives. The $649.99 PS5 is a TV-only console for big-budget games and 4K Blu-ray.

Meta Quest 3 vs Quest 3S

Both headsets run the same games. The $599.99 Quest 3 adds sharper pancake lenses, a higher-resolution screen and a wider 110-degree view. The $349.99 Quest 3S is Wirecutter’s pick for most people.

The Best Sim Racing Wheels in 2026

PC Gamer’s best racing wheel is the 11 Nm Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel (about $1,000, pedals extra). For less, the Moza R5 Bundle is its best budget direct-drive wheel (about $460), and the Thrustmaster T128 is its best budget pick (about $200).

The Best Capture Cards in 2026

GamesRadar+’s best external capture card is the AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 (HDMI 2.1, 4K60 capture). TechRadar’s top pick is the plug-and-play Elgato HD60 X, and PC Gamer’s best budget card is the Elgato Game Capture Neo.

The Best Handheld Gaming Consoles and PCs in 2026

The Verge’s pick is the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X at $999, the only top-tier handheld PC that hasn’t gone up in price. The Steam Deck OLED is still Engadget’s pick for most people, but it now starts at $789, so a refurbished Deck is the bargain. Switch 2 is $499.99.