How much energy does your PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch use?

Make the most of power-saving modes for each platform

We find out which console is the most energy efficient (iStock/The Independent)

While the new energy price cap of 52p per kWh is set to take effect from October, many households are growing concerned by rising costs and are trying to find ways to cut down on their energy use.

One of the most obvious choices to make is reducing use of electronics, or finding more-energy-efficient alternatives, such as cooking with an air fryer or slow cooker, rather than a traditional oven.

Another less obvious one to consider is games consoles. You might just enjoy a casual game on the weekend or – if you happen to own more than one – enjoy playing games on the PS5, Xbox series X or the Nintendo Switch on a regular rotation, but they can also use up a lot of electricity if left on.

Luckily, there are power-saving features and customisation options that will help you get the most out of each console.

By using the 52p per kWh price cap from October to December 2022 on Ofgem’s website, we can roughly estimate the cost of running your games console of choice and how much each will cost. To find out which console is the most energy efficient, keep reading the rest of this article.

How much energy is used to play the PS5?

(Sony)

According to PlayStation’s website, the original version of the disc edition console uses 196.9w of energy on average while playing games.

By using the price cap from October, this would mean it would cost an average of £1.43 a week if you were to play games for two hours every day. The digital edition of the launch model uses 198.3w of energy on average gaming use, leading to an average cost of £1.44 a week.

This goes up slightly on the newer model of the disc edition, which uses 199w of energy, but the extra useage is fairly negligible in comparison. What should be noted is that the PlayStation 5’s rest mode only uses 0.36w of energy and goes up to 3.1w if it’s USB ports are being used while in rest mode (to charge your controllers, for instance).

How much energy is used to play the Xbox series X/S?

(Sony)

According to data provided by Microsoft, the Xbox series X is much less energy hungry while actively gaming, using around 153w. This will cost roughly £1.11 per week, using the same calculations as mentioned above.

Where the Xbox series X, uses less power while in use, it’s “instant on” mode can use up to 13w, making it use more than four times as much energy as the PS5’s rest mode equivalent. To turn this feature off, simply go to your profile and system settings by clicking the Xbox logo on your controller, navigating to settings, then general, and select your preferred energy-saving options under “power mode and start up”.

In comparison, the Xbox series S is much more energy efficient than its more-powerful counterpart, only using 74w on average during active gameplay, which will cost 53p per week, based on the same calculations. It’s instant-on feature also uses 10w, but this feature can be disabled the same way.

How much electricity does the Nintendo Switch use?

(PA Media)

Out of the three big players, the Nintendo Switch is by far the cheapest platform to run games on. While the PlayStation and Xbox platforms can run into the triple digits, Nintendo’s website states active gaming through the device’s TV mode uses only 7w for the standard edition of the console, and 6w for the newer OLED model, meaning they only cost 5p and 4p a week to run, respectively.

While in rest mode, both versions of the console use just 0.3w of energy, making it similar to that of the PS5. As the device also works as a handheld console, it also means it can be regularly unplugged to take on the go.

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