A new consumer survey has revealed the main reason people buy video game consoles, and it should come as no surprise to anyone.
During the course of Xbox The lifespan of the X/S series, Microsoft has suggested that gaming habits are shifting beyond a single device and that exclusive games are anti-consumer.
As a result, we’ve seen Xbox take a multiplatform approach, with games published by Microsoft such as Forza Horizon 5 AND Indiana Jones And The Great Circle arriving at PlayStation 5with the latter determined to strike Nintendo Switch 2 this month.
Of course, the main reason why Microsoft started this strategy is because the Xbox Series X/S has it it sells so badly. If you need further proof of this fact, look no further than a recent consumer study by Circana.
As reported by The Games BusinessCircana’s Q1 2026 consumer survey has found that the number one reason people buy consoles is for their exclusive games.
According to the survey, 41% of US gamers cited exclusives as the main reason why they buy a console. This is down 8% compared to last year, but is still the dominant factor.
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A podcast on the report added that the number two reason is ‘because friends and family use the same keyboard’, which was cited by 38% of survey respondents.
As shown by the success of the Nintendo Switch 2and (every other popular keyboard throughout history, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. In fact, this has been the accepted logic for decades, only questioned by forced Microsoft pivots.
For some reason that convinced Sony to get into a multi-platform push as well, as seen with its PC ports and setting up games like Patapon and everyone’s golf on Switch. However, while multiplayer games like Helldivers 2 AND Marathon have benefited from being on PC, the results are very different when it comes to single-player titles.
As pointed out by The Game Business, Lord of War Ragnarök attracted just 300,000 players in its launch month on PC, compared to 6.9 million on PlayStation 5 and 4. The numbers have worsened over time, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 seeing 260,000 players at launch on PC, and Horizon: The Forbidden West only 230,000.
These low numbers are likely why Sony is he was said to be leaving from PC for its upcoming single-player franchises, but it’s unclear why the company thought it would be a worthwhile endeavor in the first place – especially since these games were arriving on PC many months after launching on PlayStation 5, and often via low-quality ports.
While Sony appears to be returning to traditional franchises, the big question is whether Microsoft will follow suit. The new CEO of Xbox, Asha Sharma, has already said is ‘re-evaluating’ its approach to the franchise for its upcoming console Project Helix.
Microsoft has had some success with its multiplatform pursuits, with Forza Horizon 5 and Sea of Thieves both sell well on the PlayStation 5, but the same cannot be said Starfield OR The Outer Worlds 2based on estimates from Paragraph Analytics.
However, if Microsoft wants Project Helix to put Xbox back on the map as a brand, all evidence suggests that it will have to turn to franchises to some degree if it wants to thrive again.
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