NVIDIA is reportedly set to skip releasing any new gaming graphics chips in 2026, a rare and unexpected twist in an industry where new GPUs traditionally roll out annually. According to a report in The Information, supply constraints in the global memory market, driven largely by booming demand for AI accelerators and data-center memory, have left Nvidia with too little memory to go around, forcing the company to delay its planned RTX 50 Super refresh and to effectively deprioritize gaming GPUs this year.
That situation could create an unusual gap in Nvidia’s product cycle. Even the next generation of flagship GPUs, the much-anticipated RTX 60 series, is now expected to be delayed beyond what gamers had hoped, with production potentially pushed into 2028 as memory shortages persist. Reports indicate Nvidia has even cut production of some existing RTX 50 series cards to free up memory for AI-focused chips.
Why this matters for gamers and the GPU market
For the gaming audience, a 2026 without new Nvidia GPUs is more than just disappointing. In fact, it could reshape upgrade planning and pricing for the entire PC market. NVIDIA’s RTX 50 series, including cards like the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 that launched in 2025, was designed to succeed the RTX 40 generation and keep performance growing. But with memory chips in short supply and AI demand siphoning allocations, NVIDIA appears to be shelving the incremental “Super” refresh that was expected to arrive early this year.
The global memory shortage itself has been widening for months, partly because memory makers have shifted production capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and other components that serve AI workloads. That trend has driven up prices for consumer-oriented memory like GDDR and DDR, making it harder and more expensive for companies like Nvidia to secure enough supply for gaming-focused GPUs while still meeting booming AI-data-center demand.
Perhaps the bigger shock isn’t just a delayed refresh but the absence of any new gaming GPU for the first time in decades. As such, the once-reliable cadence of mid-year refreshes and generational launches gives way to shortages and strategic prioritization. In this scenario, Nvidia’s gaming lineup may rely on existing RTX 50 cards longer than expected, and premiums on current GPUs could remain high as buyers wait for the next real jump in performance. For now, Nvidia hasn’t formally commented on the delays, but as things stand, the traditional rhythm of GPU releases is being disrupted, and gamers may find themselves holding onto current hardware longer than they anticipated.
