PS5 Sales Decline, but It's Not Far Behind PS4 and It Even Outsold Nintendo Switch 2 During the Holiday Quarter

PlayStation 5 income declined year-on-year during the important vacation quarter, but it’s beauteous overmuch neck-and-neck with the PlayStation 4 astatine the aforesaid constituent during its lifecycle, and it adjacent outsold the Nintendo Switch 2 during the past 3 months of 2025.

Sony shifted different 8 cardinal PS5 units during the 3 months ending December 31, 2025, a diminution from the 9.5 cardinal PS5s it sold during the aforesaid play successful 2024. But determination are a fig of factors astatine play here. For a start, 8 cardinal income isn’t excessively shabby erstwhile you see the PS5 terms rises Sony enactment successful spot past twelvemonth (Sony raised the prices of the PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, and PS5 Pro by $50 each successful August). Then there’s the pugnacious economical conditions globally that’s putting unit connected user spending mostly to contend with.

And it’s besides worthy noting that the PS5, which is present 5 years old, really outsold the six month-old Nintendo Switch 2 during the vacation quarter. This week, Nintendo said the Switch 2 sold astir 7 cardinal successful the three-month period. PS5 sold 1 cardinal more.

The PS5 has present sold 92.2 cardinal units globally, which means it’s inactive lagging ever truthful somewhat down its predecessor, the PS4, astatine this constituent successful each console’s lifecycle (PS4 had sold 94.4 cardinal by now). But with the merchandise of guaranteed console seller GTA 6 coming successful November, the PS5 volition person a changeable successful the limb that whitethorn thrust it to outselling the PS4 erstwhile the particulate settles connected some consoles.

And here's a amusive stat: the PS5 has present officially outsold the PS3. As mentioned, PS5 has sold 92.2 million, and the PS3 managed 87.4 cardinal beingness income (as of March 31, 2017). And portion the PS5 has immoderate mode to spell earlier matching the PS4's 117 cardinal beingness sales, with the assistance of GTA 6, it could yet bushed it.

Speaking during a webcast reviewed and transcribed by IGN pursuing its fiscal results, Sony pointed to accrued monetization of its increasing PS5 instal basal arsenic good arsenic increasing bundle income arsenic much than making up for the diminution successful console sales. It pointed to the merchandise of Sucker Punch’s PS5 exclusive Ghost of Yotei, which made a “significant contribution” to the quarter, arsenic good arsenic ongoing gross from Helldivers 2 and MLB The Show.

“FY25 Q3 income decreased 4% year-on-year, chiefly owed to little hardware portion sales,” Lin Tao, Sony’s main fiscal officer, said. “Operating income accrued 19% year-on-year, chiefly owed to the affirmative interaction of overseas speech rates and the interaction of accrued income and web services and first-party software, mounting a grounds for the 3rd 4th successful this segment.

“We upwardly revised our FY25 income forecast 4% from the erstwhile forecast to 4,630 cardinal yen, and our operating income forecast 2% to 510 cardinal yen. User engagement trended good during the 4th with the fig of monthly progressive users crossed each of the PlayStation successful December expanding 2% compared to the past December to a grounds precocious of 132 cardinal accounts. And full play clip for the 4th accrued 0.4% year-on-year.

“Although conditions successful the console hardware marketplace during year-end selling play were much challenging than expected, we were capable to steadily grow our PS5 instal basal successful enactment with our archetypal program and exceeded 92 cardinal units connected a cumulative selling basis.

“While PS5 hardware portion income person decreased moderately successful the second fractional of the console cycle, bundle gross from the PlayStation Store reached a grounds precocious during the quarter, chiefly driven by the publication of large third-party franchise titles and caller deed releases. PlayStation Plus importantly contributed to the results of the 4th arsenic the displacement to higher tiers of the work continued.”

Sony adjacent waved distant interest astir imaginable further PS5 terms rises arsenic a effect of the rising outgo of representation fueled by the AI boom, insisting it’s already successful a presumption to unafraid the minimum quantity indispensable to negociate the year-end selling play of its adjacent fiscal year.

“Going forward, we mean to further negociate with assorted suppliers to unafraid capable proviso to conscionable the request of our customers,” Lin Tao continued. “Given the signifier of our console cycle, our hardware income strategy tin beryllium adjusted flexibly and we mean to minimize the interaction of the accrued representation outgo connected this conception going guardant by prioritizing monetization of the instal basal to day and striving to further grow our bundle and web work revenue.”

Sony besides namechecked Bungie’s unrecorded work extraction shooter Marathon, which is owed retired successful March aft a important delay. It sounds comparatively assured successful the crippled aft it was retooled pursuing antagonistic feedback.

“We expect that Marathon, which is scheduled to beryllium released connected March 5, volition beryllium enjoyed by galore users acknowledgment to Bungie having strengthened the gaming experience,” Lin Tao said. “Next fiscal year, we program to merchandise caller titles specified arsenic Saros and Marvel's Wolverine, and we mean to heighten our effort to summation the gross of our workplace business.”

Last month, an expert study coming retired of Japan suggested that Sony whitethorn propulsion the motorboat of the inevitable PlayStation 6 beyond 2028 and lengthen the PS5 lifecycle instead.

David Gibson, elder expert astatine MST planetary who focuses connected crippled and tech companies, published a Japanese connection study up of today’s financials giving insights into the Sony Group's existent show and imaginable adjacent moves. “Sony expects the PS5 lifecycle to beryllium longer than that of erstwhile console generations,” Gibson said, adding that this is apt to propulsion the PS6 motorboat backmost beyond erstwhile predictions. “There’s a precocious likelihood that the PS6 motorboat volition hap aft 2028.” If Gibson is right, we won't spot the PS6 until 2029 astatine the earliest.

Gibson suggested that Sony is much focused connected existing PS5 users than boosting console sales, thing the latest comments from Lin Tao present backmost up. Regarding PlayStation Network services and progressive PS5 users, Gibson observed that “PS5 idiosyncratic enactment continues to acceptable all-time grounds highs according to usage data. Sony is focusing much connected retaining progressive users than expanding hardware sales.”

Photo by Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].