Whether you're in a country with pricey electricity bills, or you just want to reduce your overall spending, or even help to save the environment (every little helps!), you might want to look to your consoles — especially since a prominent British energy company recently called them "vampires" and advised us to turn them off completely.
Whether that's a fair assessment or not, the fact is that a great many of us are looking to tighten our belts as the global cost-of-living crisis creeps into all aspects of our lives, and any household device that's constantly plugged into the mains is worth investigating to see what savings can be made.
Do you currently have your console(s) in instant-on mode? Sleep mode? Energy saving mode? Do you know the difference in the first place, or how much each is actually costing you every month? We can help you!
Check out our guide to the efficiency and energy costs of the consoles, and how to reduce the amount of money you'll be paying each month.
Console Power Consumption Comparison - How Much Power Does My Switch / Xbox / PlayStation Use?
Below you'll find some vital stats for each Nintendo Switch model currently on sale — plus Sony and Microsoft's consoles for comparison — and some per-hour and per-week energy estimates based on information from the manufacturers and other sources.
Some notes before we begin:
- The power draw depends on the game being played, but these tests were performed with Breath of the Wild, one of the most demanding Switch games. Other games will likely have a lower draw.
- Newer models of Switch are more efficient than older ones.
- The figures below come from Nintendo's own tests, AnandTech, and Switch Chargers.
- Costs are calculated using the UK's £0.51 kWh price cap for electricity, which begins in October 2022, and this online calculator.
Nintendo Switch (base model)
Docked
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games | 7-11W | £0.01 | £0.08 (2h a day) |
| Playing while charging | 15-17W | £0.01 | £0.06 (1h a day) |
| Streaming media | 6W | <£0.01 | £0.02 (1h a day) |
| On the Home menu | 3W | <£0.01 | <£0.01 (1h a week) |
| Sleep mode | 0.3-0.5W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (20h a day) |
| Sleep mode (charging) | 9.8-12.1W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (1h a day) |
| Power off | 0.3-0.5W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (20 hours a day) |
Undocked
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing while charging | 8-9W | <£0.01 | £0.06 (2h a day) |
| Sleep mode (charging) | 8-9W | <£0.01 | £0.06 (2h a day) |
Average cost per week
- £0.08 (1h a day playtime) — £0.30 (5h a day playtime)
Nintendo Switch Lite
The Switch Lite can't be docked, so the important consideration is how much power it draws when you're playing a game and charging.
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games | 5-7.5W | <£0.01 | £0.05 (2h a day) |
| Playing while charging | 7.5-13.5W | £0.01 | £0.05 (1h a day) |
| Sleep mode (charging) | ~13W | £0.01 | £0.09 (2h a day) |
Average cost per week
- £0.10 (1h a day playtime) — £0.30 (5h a day playtime)
Nintendo Switch OLED
Nintendo did not provide energy draw for the OLED when charging, but we can assume it's more or less similar to the Nintendo Switch base model. These figures are from Nintendo, not a third-party, so take that as you will. We also only have figures for docked mode.
Docked
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games | 6W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (2h a day) |
| Streaming media | 5W | <£0.01 | £0.02 (1h a day) |
| On the Home menu | 3W | <£0.01 | £0.01 (1h a week) |
| Sleep mode | 0.3-0.5W (WiFi) 2.2W (wired) |
<£0.01 (WiFi) <£0.01 (wired) |
£0.04 (20h a day) £0.16 (20h a day) |
| Power off | 0.3-0.5W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (20h a day) |
Average cost per week
- £0.06 (1h a day playtime, WiFi only) — £0.14 (5h a day playtime, WiFi only)
As a comparison point, here are the costs for the Xbox Series S/X and the PS5 (from Xbox and Sony's sites):
Xbox Series X
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games | 153W | £0.08 | £1.09 (2h a day) |
| Streaming | 47W | £0.02 | £0.34 (2h a day) |
| Instant-On mode | 13W | £0.01 | £0.93 (20h a day) |
| Standby | 0.5W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (20h a week) |
Average cost per week
- £1.62 (1h a day playtime/Instant On) — £3.61 (5h a day playtime/Instant On)
Xbox Series S
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games | 74W | £0.04 | £0.53 (2h a day) |
| Streaming | 31W | £0.02 | £0.22 (2h a day) |
| Instant-On mode |
10W |
£0.01 |
£0.71 (20h a day) |
| Standby |
0.4W |
<£0.01 |
£0.03 (20h a day) |
Average cost per week
- £1.08 (1h a day playtime/Instant On) — £2.00 (5h a day playtime/Instant On)
PlayStation 5
| Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour |
Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games | 200W | £0.10 |
£1.43 (2h a day) |
| Streaming | 54W | £0.03 | £0.39 (2h a day) |
| Standby |
2W |
<£0.01 |
£0.14 (20h a day) |
Average cost per week
- £0.87 (1h a day playtime) — £3.71 (5h a day playtime)
Steam Deck
Note 1: We don't have data for the standby power usage on the Steam Deck yet. The average cost per week may vary as a result, but going on the usage of the other consoles, we don't imagine the difference to be that vast.
Note 2: Valve's official Steam Deck specs put the processor at 4-15W. This could be higher, as we saw sources saying it was 15W, 20W, and 25W. The charger is listed as a 45W USB Type-C.
| Usage | Energy Draw |
Cost per hour |
Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing games |
15W | £0.01 |
£0.11 (2h a day) |
| Charging |
30-45W | £0.02 |
£0.32 (2h a day) |
Average cost per week
- ~£0.21 (1h a day playtime) — £0.59 (5h a day playtime)
Switch / Xbox / PlayStation Quick Comparison Table
Here we'll just summarise the information above to help illustrate the main comparison points for the 'flagship' consoles from the big three manufacturers:
| Console | Usage | Energy Draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switch OLED | Playing games | 6W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (2h a day) |
| PS5 | Playing games | 200W | £0.10 | £1.43 (2h a day) |
| Xbox Series X | Playing games | 153W | £0.08 | £1.09 (2h a day) |
| Steam Deck | Playing games | 15W | £0.01 | £0.11 (2h a day) |
| Switch OLED | Standby/Sleep | 0.3-0.5W (WiFi) 2.2W (wired) |
<£0.01 (WiFi) <£0.01 (wired) |
£0.04 (20h a day) £0.16 (20h a day) |
| PS5 | Standby/Sleep | 2W | <£0.01 | £0.14 (20h a day) |
| Xbox Series X | Standby/Sleep | 0.5W | <£0.01 | £0.04 (20h a week) |
Tips To Reduce Power Draw & Increase Efficiency On The Switch
As you can see (and as you'd expect from the smaller mobile console), Switch is by far the least power hungry of the current console crop when it comes to playing games, and the more modest energy costs to run it — especially compared to the other consoles and more power-intensive household appliances — may come as something of a relief.
Still, every little does help, so here are some tips to make your Switch as power-efficient as possible:
- When possible, charge the Switch in the dock while it's off, not while playing — it will recharge much faster
- Turn your Switch off rather than putting it in Sleep Mode (though you won't have access to quick resume or downloads when off)
- If you use wired internet on your OLED, make sure to turn on the "low power consumption" option
- Turn down the brightness
- Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth
- Keep the Joy-Con attached
- Charge your Switch to full before using it in handheld
- Upgrade your Switch to a newer, more efficient model
Realistically, you're not going to save a massive amount by tweaking your settings and playing less. The most you can save is a few pennies here and there, even with the comparatively demanding OLED with wired internet. You may decide it's not worth the effort, but it's useful to know all the same.
However, we highly recommend that you take a look at the energy-saving settings for your Xbox, since the Xbox Series S and X in Instant On mode can draw almost as much as a Switch that's charging and playing Zelda. Make sure to check out our sister site, Pure Xbox, for all the details.
Likewise with the PS5, reducing your hours and using power-saving options may help reduce those colossal energy bills — if you've got all three consoles, you could be forking out almost £5 a week just to have them running in the background!
Do you have any handy tips for combating the energy bill price rise? What do you think about the energy usage of the Switch versus other consoles? Is there anything Nintendo could do to help? Tell us in the comments!
Comments 67
Big fans on Xbox and PS5 at a guess
I assume the base model data is from newer system?
Either the OLED's cost per hour or cost per week looks pretty wrong. Actually, either I've forgotten more math than I thought or a lot of this doesn't add up. The rest might just be from rounding, though.
Playing for 2 hours a day?
HAHAHAHAHAHA I wish it was that low
Frankly it’s disgusting how much power the X and PS5 draw. They draw more than the average 65 inch tv for goodness sake. It’s a major reason I won’t buy one that I don’t see talked about enough. It feels gross wasting that much energy playing video games just for better graphics.
I'm guessing all those numbers came from a flow chart somewhere. Cuz they are all over the place. Mostly on the low side. Guessing someone took averages or peak lows. Oled is consistently the winner in terms of best power efficiency, by a country mile. No Steamdeck stats? I'm almost offended. But it's all over the place due to games variable power draw. Even still while charging it pings in around 39w.
@bonjong23 there's some shots of ps5 hitting 365w. It's absurd. I was a little sad when testing my old XB1X and it hit 156w on Control. Even my old PS4 hits 141w on Horizon 2.
@bonjong23 I mean... that makes sense. Why would a TV use that much power. All it does it display? The only exception is smart tvs but the computers in them are not that powerful. I would except most devices to use more energy then a TV
@Hero8-Bit But a large 65 inch one? Come on.
of course Switch is energy efficient, Switch power is equivalent to a handheld PS3, PS5/Xbox Series X/S is full of gadgedt that increash it power consuption
@Hero8-Bit every smart TV uses more power, by a LOT, than dumb ones. My 40in 1080 hits 61. 55in hits 82. 55in Fire TV is in the 130's.
Actually interesting information, as I've only played my Switch the last couple of years, and am wondering if I'll be able to play it when I move off the grid soon for most of the time. Here in my forest cabin I have electricity from the grid still (and it powers my wifi as well, but I turn that off when not using it). When I move into the mountains and travel back and forth, probably after this winter, a solar panel on my camper and a battery will have to suffice. Not sure how much I'll want to play games when starting a fruit forest to live in, but there's always rainy days, or lazy ones. Hell, I'll be doing all that work to eventually have nothing BUT lazy days unless I WANT to do something. And did a lot of work today to stay warm in the coming winter here, while playing my Switch probably a couple of hours a day. A few years ago I replayed Assassin's Creed 4 outside in my hammock on the summer. Sadly my battery isn't very reliable anymore, so I'm thinking about getting a Lite or an OLED, not sure which one, I only play handheld, but OLED is somewhat of an upgrade I would have definitely considered worth it in the past and I love my third party Binbok joycons...
Touch choice.
How reliable are the batteries over time?
Playing video games is not hurting the environment. Greedy mega corporations and corrupt governments are hurting the environment. There is no energy crisis, only a money crisis.
Keep playing all the video games you want!
Still crazy that something that draws so little power can play a game like Doom Eternal. Granted, it's not a 4k/120 experience, but it plays. I've had bowel movements that expend more energy than this thing.
Here I use solar energy, i have no concern about energy, but the information is interesting!
I have 2 absurd pc gamers and the energy consumption must be complete absurd.
More power = more energy
@Shambo I upgraded to the Oled specifically for the better battery and off-grid efficiency. It's an amazing upgrade. I have zero regrets. Mine is used only off power stations and I rarely get it down to zero. Charge it maybe twice a week and use it near every day.
Now maths may not be my strong point but if the Switch OLED costs 2p (0.02p) an hour to run then 2 hours per day would be 4p (0.04p) and therefore 2 hours per day per week would be 28p (7x4p) with 5 hours a day being 10p per day times 7 so 70p a week (or half this for the regular Switch so 14p a week 2 hours per day or 35p a week 5 hours a day).
Likewise if the PS5 costs 10p an hour to run then 2 hours a day (20p) times 7 days is £1.40 not £1.43, with it costing 50p a day for 5 hours so £3.50 a week.
Either way, the Switch is far cheaper to run. In fact a regular Switch is 10 times cheaper to run for 5 hours a day than a PS5. Insane!
@Krysus that's great to read, and I will definitely take it into consideration, thanks!
Very similar spread to seventh gen consoles. PS3 was, as I recall, a notorious power hog when it first released, drawing upwards of 150+W when gaming, whereas the Wii was around 15.
Still, if those numbers are accurate, the SWOLED is insanely efficient, holy moly!
You might want to recheck that "Cost per hour" column, the calculations can't all be correct.
It's currently showing 9.8-12.1W = <£0.01/hour, 7-11W = £0.01/hour, 31W = £0.02/hour, 8-9W = £0.03/hour
Interesting article. The main thing it has told me is to turn my damn PS5 off...I don't use it enough to justify the 14p per week I spend keeping it on standby Dx
How many Watt used for PS4 Slim?
Since I have PS4 Slim.
"It feels gross wasting that much energy playing video games just for better graphics". Yeah the best thing is to cling to that original unmodded gb with no backlit and use only recycling batteries. Also keep that first gen kindle with no backlit that could last a month without charging
I was recently shopping for a standalone electric kettle. I've never had one and was curious about the power efficiency...needless to say NONE of them is efficient. The best one I found was 600w. Most are in the 1500-2000w range. As much as people want to cry about VG consoles using XX amount of power, electric appliances usually in the kitchen have far more absurd ratios.
Why no steam deck comparison? Are steam deck articles banned in this site?
@bonjong23 Don't look into the power consumption of modern gaming PCs. It is about triple that of a PS5
@clianvXAi Steamdeck charges at roughly 39wph on a DC fast Charge, roughly 2 hours 0-100. 12w via USB, 8 hours give or take Has a 5313-mAh battery. Problem with the Deck is it has the single worst optimization of any current console. Some games can be played for only 1.5-2 hours at 100% capacity. Others can be played for 5-8 hours. Only thing that really matters is the charging wattage, time to charge.
@bonjong23 I understand that power is not always everything, but from a person who went from Switch to Xbox Series S, I've been enjoying way better games (that are not available on Switch like Psychonauts 2 and It Takes Two) for over a year and spending way less on games thanks to Game Pass.
More PS5's more POWER!!! Less MONEY!!!
I know from experience that the PS5 will suck you dry, even without your consent.
I don’t know… this comparsion feels, stupid?
I like the switch a lot and I bought multiple games on it instead of my much more powerful PC because I like the Switch for multiple reasons.
But it’s a strange comparison mind you, considering how much more power the XSX and PS5 have compared to the Switch, that sits between a PS3 and a Xbox One S.
But oh well yes it is power efficient, so is my more powerful than the Switch smartphone that uses even less power.
See why this doesn’t make any sense?
Removed - offensive remarks
@bonjong23 Newsflash the more demanding and high tech something is the more power it requires. Once Nintendo jumps on the 4K train expect the power usage to increase. Also having a PS5 and Series X is more then just better graphics, its ignorant to think otherwise.
The maths on this is all fudged up. If it wasn’t for the last table I’d have gone away thinking the ps5 and Xbox were almost unplayable.
I think you need to tidy the tables and headers up because right now it makes no sense and most the numbers are wrong.
@Xiovanni it also unfortunately means it won't work on my system. The 600w one would tho. Just haven't decided if it's more viable.
If i remember it well, the Wii U was about 20 Watt.
@DrewBA77
Depends on the Components, what you play and Graphic Settings you chose.
Overall, a high end PC was since the dawn of Chips consuming much Power, but it really delivers.
You could also build a modern PC that can play Games of the "last Generation" and doesn't consumes as much Power.
I have a very simple power saving solution; all my hardware is completely powered off when not in use (or charging) and I use power switches on all of them. So almost no standby power usage.
I'm givin' her all she got Cap'n, she can't take much more...
@Rayquaza2510 What do you mean? This isn't an article debating which console is better based on power usage. It's just for information purposes because of how outrageously expensive electric is in parts of the world.
As someone with an Xbox, PlayStation and Switch I greatly appreciate it.
If the government taxes us for carbon, we can change the weather!
@bonjong23
Dude. Go look at what a Rig draws.
Or even better, go back and look at what early model 360s and PS3 drew down from the mains.
I love my PS5. It ain’t going nowhere.
Nah.. I'll leave them in standby or rest mode.
The TV on the other hand I don't have in rest mode because if it doesn't get turned off it slows down horribly and freezes up. Hate smart tvs.
A major reason I use the Switch as my main gaming console is it low power consumption.
Had researched it before I bought it.
For Cities Skylines and Stellaris, I had wisely chosen Xbox S.
@KateGray great article, I was actually saying to my partner a day before that I'm surprised no one has written about this recently. Just on the PS5 standby wattage, shouldn't that be more around 1W? https://www.nrdc.org/experts/noah-horowitz/latest-game-consoles-environmental-winners-or-losers
Dang on that PS5 number. Microsoft isn't as expensive.
@WallyWest The Series X is cheaper and is more powerful than the PS5.
People should also check their HIFI equipment. especially amplifiers. Older stereo amps can already draw 300-400W.
My 7-8 years old 7.1 Yamaha amp draws a whoopin 500-600W in use and 370W(!) even in stand-bye.
Needless to say that I basicely unplug it now after use.
Just check the temperature of the top casing with your hand.
The warmer the more power is drawn.
@Austrian 370W in standby. That's crazy.
@a1904 I picked 2W as the in-between of the figures on Sony's own website! I was surprised that it was so high.
https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/legal/ecodesign/
My apartment does equalized billing and I'm out of the house 11 hours a day for work and commuting. As such, my monthly power bill is $36 so I don't think I need to worry about my Switch's power consumption 😂
I think most of our electricity bill goes on the Sky Q box and router... Those things consume far too much.
I'm a late Switch adopter, I already had a Series X when I got mine, so I immediately noticed the Switch's low power draw. When I bought it I was totally hooked on it playing Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart, and Mario 3D World. I didn't turn on my Xbox for almost two months, so when the electricity bill arrived it was considerably lower even though I was still doing home office and played games all day.
I find it informative to see how power consumption breaks down, especially as utility costs going up seems to be a global phenomenon. It's going to help me budget my non-essentials going forward.
@michellelynn0976 and the PS5's SSD is way more powerful then what the Series X has.
@dimi don't feel gross, Al Gore uses more power at his giant home then all of the Nintendo life readers combined.
Notice how the people that scream the most about energy and such are the absolute worst offenders.
Time durations aint consistent however good work but really TVs are the culprits and they really need to be taken into account as its essential for home consoles the Lite wins but tell Nintendo to make a XL version im getting old the screens a tad to small
@Danrenfroe2016 i disagree part reason i won't buy a PS5 on a dry day i put washing on the line and i refuse to use the cooker
@WallyWest It doesn't show. But, on the PS5, the Mass Effect trilogy runs at 4K 30 FPS or 1080p 60 FPS. On the Series X, its native 4K 60 FPS, or 1080p 120 FPS.
Thanks for pointing out the errors, folks! I was using the wrong calculations, my bad. It should be fixed (but let me know if you spot any other errors).
I've also added the Steam Deck for further comparison — it's surprisingly cheap!
@KateGray I think the undocked cost per hour is wrong (0.03 wouldn’t make 0.06 per week but per day; and as the wattage given is lower than docked the price per hour should be lower, not higher). But I could have merely misread something as on mobile!
The lower power usage of the Switch is pretty great, don’t feel so bad using it! Nintendo have always been good for power usage, remember the Wii been low compared to rival machines. Might watch YouTube/Twitch on TV with Switch over Xbox, never thought about how much it might be using.
@Grackler Good eye, thank you!!
@michellelynn0976 SSD doesn't effect framerates but it does effect loadings speeds and 9/10 the PS5 is way faster. The PS5's SSD is also why FF7R Part 2 is PS5 exclusive as in SE own words its the only console capable of running it.
@arnold337 don't worry, on those days I tend to leave the oven on, the microwave on, and I even run my car all day long to make sure an offset what the other folks save. 🤣 J/k
@Ryan_Again lol!
@WallyWest And it doesn't show. But, on paper, the PS5 memory is better, but on everything else, it's not. The Xbox Series X is more powerful than the PS5.
@michellelynn0976 Sure its more powerful in stats but the PS5 is capable of more. Why do you think Devs were more excited for the PS5 then Series X? Its because the SSD allows for more.
@WallyWest LOL almost 2 years later and the Series X still does port's better. And the weaker machine got a price hike in most of the world.
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