Thinking 2027 feels a little too soon for a new console? Actually, seven-year gaps have become standard over the last few generations. Nintendo has been the only outlier. It needed a swift departure from the maligned Wii U in order to make way for the much more successful Nintendo Switch. The Xbox 360 released in 2005, and the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii just a year later. Then, we got the Wii U in 2012, and Xbox One and PlayStation 4 followed in 2013. The Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 both released in 2020. It’s important to remember that each of the prior generations received support for many years after their respective replacements arrived.

While this trend will likely hold up, some are hoping that the current console generation lasts even longer, especially considering that, now two years in, there haven’t been many AAA games released for either console that weren’t also available on prior generation systems. We’re likely to see a mid-generation refresh for all of these consoles well before 2027, and with Microsoft going all in on cross-generation compatibility and support, don’t be surprised if it tries to push another year or two past the norm.