Highlights
- The PlayStation 5 is currently outselling Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles by roughly two-to-one.
- Despite supply shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sales of the PS5 have picked up steadily and 2023 has been the most profitable year for the console so far.
- Rumors suggest that Sony may release a PlayStation 5 Slim console later this year, which could further add to its impressive sales tally.
The PlayStation 5 is outpacing its Xbox competitors in sales, even as it trails behind its immediate predecessor. Sony’s latest console had something of a slow start when it first launched in 2020, thanks in no small part to supply shortages brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once these shortages finally ended, sales for the current-gen PlayStation console picked up at a steady pace, with recent reports revealing that 2023 has been the most profitable year for the PS5 so far.
In addition to the console itself being more readily available in comparison to the past couple of years, the PlayStation 5’s strong sales figures have been bolstered by a strong slate of first-party games like God of War Ragnarok and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. The upcoming launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 could lead to even more PS5 sales in the final quarter of the year, but the console has already crossed some major milestones in the meantime.
Sony recently announced that it has sold 40 million PlayStation 5 consoles as of July 16. As reported by IGN, Ampere’s Piers Harding-Rolls says that the PS5 has crossed this sales threshold at a slower rate than the PlayStation 4 did, and that the new system is still trailing behind its predecessor by about a million units. Still, reports indicate that the PS5 is outselling Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S by roughly two-to-one due to recent claims that Microsoft’s consoles have reached over 21 million users since their launch in 2020.
Microsoft’s attorneys have admitted that the PS5 is outselling Xbox’s Series X/S consoles during recent hearings surrounding Microsoft’s planned buyout of Activision Blizzard. Xbox isn’t to be discounted though, as Microsoft’s gaming division has reported a 1% increase in quarterly sales over the past few months, and Xbox head Phil Spencer has assured industry observers that his company is sticking to its current business plans.
Still, current statistics indicate that the PlayStation 5 is selling at double the rate of its Xbox competitors, which is a promising sign for Sony and a troubling omen for Microsoft as it prepares to bolster its gaming division with franchises from Activision Blizzard. Rumors suggest that Sony is getting ready to release a PlayStation 5 Slim console later this year, which will likely add even more sales to its already impressive tally.
