Video game software
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥5,699 Miyazaki
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥7,153 Akita
Retail price survey conducted by the Statistics Bureau of Japan. This is a survey average, not a shop price — actual prices vary by store. 総務省統計局 小売物価統計調査 · Surveyed items and specifications
Key facts
Video game software costs ¥6,391 per unit in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 1.6% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for video game software reads 98.9 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 0.2% year on year and down 0.9% over five years.
Video game software sits in the culture & recreation group of Japan's CPI basket, with 200 monthly observations from January 2010 to August 2026. The series peaked at 100.5 in January 2010 and bottomed at 96.0 in August 2011; the latest reading is -1.6% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +0.2%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 99.2 | +0.1% | 12 |
| 2016 | 98.8 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2017 | 98.7 | -0.1% | 12 |
| 2018 | 98.3 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2019 | 98.9 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2021 | 99.8 | -0.2% | 12 |
| 2022 | 99.4 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2023 | 99.1 | -0.3% | 12 |
| 2024 | 99.1 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2025 | 98.8 | -0.3% | 12 |
| 2026 | 98.9 | +0.1% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥6,391 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥6,405 |
| 2026-06 | ¥6,435 |
| 2026-05 | ¥6,415 |
| 2026-04 | ¥6,436 |
| 2026-03 | ¥6,493 |
| 2026-02 | ¥6,473 |
| 2026-01 | ¥6,418 |
| 2025-12 | ¥6,432 |
| 2025-11 | ¥6,421 |
| 2025-10 | ¥6,386 |
| 2025-09 | ¥6,330 |
| 2025-08 | ¥6,289 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does video game software cost in Japan?
- ¥6,391 per unit, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest video game software?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Miyazaki was cheapest at ¥5,699 and Akita the most expensive at ¥7,153.
- How much have video game software prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +0.2% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have video game software prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- -0.9% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 98.9.
- When were video game software prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 100.5 in January 2010. The latest reading is -1.6% against that peak.
- What is the difference between the index and the yen price?
- This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局 消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).