The shortage of RTX 50 series models and their extremely high prices have pushed NVIDIA to a radical step — the company has decided to return the RTX 3060 to production, which was officially discontinued back in 2024.
It is expected that the legend of the mid-range segment will reappear on sale in the first quarter of 2026. According to insider @hongxing2020, NVIDIA has instructed partners to restart production lines. The reason is simple: new models like the RTX 5060 are too expensive to manufacture due to the high cost of video memory, and the company needs a product to fill the mass-market "xx60" segment, which budget-conscious gamers traditionally target.
The choice of the RTX 3060 is not accidental. Despite its age, the card remains the most popular on the Steam platform — it was the leader in the statistics for December 2025. Amid rumors of the possible discontinuation of the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and problems with the availability of new solutions, the return of the 3060 should be a salvation for those who want to build a gaming PC without excessive costs.
Analysts warn that such a "resuscitation" will only work at a truly low price. In 2026, the Ampere architecture may already struggle with modern AAA games, so the success of the return depends on whether the card becomes a bargain purchase or just a temporary replacement during the crisis.