The dark satanic rumour mill has manufactured a hell on earth yarn claiming that gamers should brace for thinner shelves rather than fatter price tags, at least for now.

According to chatter on the Chinese Board Channel forums, Nvidia intends to cut RTX 50 output heading into 2026. The posts are flagged as unconfirmed, but they line up neatly with the broader DRAM supply squeeze hammering almost every corner of the PC market.

Memory shortages have already pushed up costs across multiple segments, and GPUs now appear firmly in the firing line. Faced with constrained DRAM supply, Nvidia is said to be choosing lower volumes rather than immediately jacking up prices.

The claim is that Blackwell-based gaming GPUs could see supply cuts of up to 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2026. If that plays out, RTX 50 cards could become an occasional sight at retail, just as buyers hope for saner pricing.

While AMD has already been linked to price increases tied directly to onboard VRAM capacity, Nvidia appears to be taking a different tack.

For the moment, the cunning plan is to throttle supply to keep the chain stable rather than provoking outright sticker shock.

However, the timing of that move is pants. Nvidia is not expected to launch a brand new GPU generation in 2026, instead rolling out an RTX 50 SUPER refresh. That means the existing RTX 50 lineup would still be doing most of the heavy lifting next year. Demand would likely stay high even without a generational leap.

Unfortunately, the ongoing memory supercycle is throwing a spanner in the works. Reports suggest both Nvidia and its add-in-board partners are being forced to scale back production as DRAM availability tightens further.

For gamers, the outlook is grimly familiar. Between vanishing stock and stubborn pricing, upgrading a GPU in 2026 could feel like another exercise in futility. There is no clear timeline for when the DRAM situation might ease, although some Tarot card readers think it might sort out late next year.