Nvidia Admits Graphics Card Shortage Isn't Ending Any Time Soon

Anyone who's been paying attraction to PC hardware implicit the past fewer months astir apt isn't amazed that graphics paper prices are going done the extortion close now, mostly owed to the ongoing RAM crisis. However, successful its latest investors call, Nvidia has warned that the GPU shortage – astatine slightest for consumers – isn't going to extremity immoderate clip soon.

In the company's net telephone (via PCMag), Nvidia CFO Colette Kress explained that portion gaming gross for fiscal Q4 2026 was up 47% implicit Q4 2025, gross for the conception dropped by 13% erstwhile compared to Q3 2026 apt owed to the shrinking representation banal implicit the past fewer months. Kress further explained that "We expect proviso constraints to beryllium a headwind to gaming successful the archetypal 4th of fiscal 2027 and beyond".

Nvidia's fiscal twelvemonth 2027 ranges from February 2026 to January 2027, which means we're successful the archetypal 4th of fiscal 2027 close now. You tin unfastened up Newegg and conscionable look astatine GPU prices close present to spot the contiguous effect of these "supply constraints", but it's the "and beyond" that is concerning.

I've spoken to a mates of analysts implicit the past mates of months, and I've heard the aforesaid happening from them. Back erstwhile I spoke to Principal Analyst astatine Moor Insight and Strategy, Anshel Sag, helium told maine that helium expects the representation shortage to widen into 2027 oregon 2028. From what Nvidia's CFO is saying here, it's starting to consciousness much apt that this is the world we person to unrecorded with for the adjacent twelvemonth oregon so.

I've reached retired to Nvidia for remark connected this story, and I'll update this nonfiction if and erstwhile I perceive back.

More Than Graphics Cards

It's important to enactment that this ongoing shortage affects much than conscionable graphics cards. Because fundamentally each portion of modern exertion needs RAM to function, the shortage is apt to impact the full gaming hardware scenery – apt starring to higher prices crossed the board.

Just a mates weeks agone Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor astatine Circana posted connected Bluesky that the mean selling prices for gaming hardware has skyrocketed successful the past year. While this is apt owed to much premium gaming devices entering the country – similar the Xbox Ally X and the PS5 Pro – accrued hardware prices are already here.

I reached retired to Piscatella for comment, and helium reassured maine that "given however rapidly things are changing and evolving erstwhile it comes to constituent pricing and availability, mounting steadfast expectations would be, successful each honesty, a spot of a silly happening to do". But helium followed that up by saying "a tenable anticipation would beryllium the imaginable for sporadic retired of stocks, the likelihood of further terms increases and delays oregon pricing and availability adjustments for immoderate caller devices presently planned to beryllium released."

We've already seen immoderate of the second happening. After all, conscionable a mates weeks ago, Valve delayed the Steam Machine owed to proviso and pricing constraints. We're inactive a ways retired from the adjacent procreation of consoles, but adjacent if Sony and Microsoft were readying connected putting those retired immoderate clip soon, it's apt that they're astatine slightest considering pushing them backmost a bit.

It's inactive excessively aboriginal to cognize thing for sure, and I hold with Piscatella that mounting steadfast expectations would beryllium silly. But either way, gaming seems similar its going to get astatine slightest a small spot much costly this year.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra