Game consoles have become a standard entertainment device in many homes, allowing people to play games, go online, watch movies or stream videos. But how much energy does a game console use? We estimate that an average video game console will use around 90 watts when it is being actively used for gaming, and 1-2 watts during standby mode when the console is off but plugged in. For other uses like video and downloads, most consoles use in the 50-70 watt range.
See the energy consumption of an average game console using 90 Watts for 3 hours a day @ $0.10 per kWh, check the chart below and modify the calculator for your console.
Cost Per Hour: £0.0171
Cost Per Day: £0.0513
Cost Per Month: £1.56
Cost Per Year: £18.73
kWh Per Day: 0.27
Tip: Nintendo consoles typically have the lowest power consumption, at the cost of graphical fidelity compared to similar generation consoles. Older console designs tend to use more power compared to newer models of the same console. Newer consoles targeting 4k resolution and ray tracing, like the Playstation 5 or the Xbox Series X may use significantly more power, in some cases over 200 watts for certain games.