Sony has announced that PlayStation 5 sales have exceeded 90 million units globally, a milestone achieved partly through aggressive Christmas discounts. This comes as the console celebrates its sixth anniversary, defying typical sales patterns that usually see a decline at this stage in a product's lifecycle.
Strong Holiday Performance Despite Rising Costs
According to Sony's latest financial reports, the PlayStation 5 enjoyed a robust Christmas season, selling an additional eight million units from October to December 2025. This performance outpaced the Nintendo Switch 2, which sold 7.01 million units in the same period, largely due to Sony's generous price reductions on both the standard PS5 and PS5 Pro models.
However, sales are still on a downward trend compared to the same quarter in 2024, when 9.5 million units were sold. Despite this, the console's lifetime sales have now crossed 92.2 million, putting it slightly behind the PlayStation 4's 94.4 million at a similar point in its lifecycle.
Growing Player Base and Software Sales
The number of active PlayStation players has increased from 129 million to 132 million over the past year. Game sales also saw an uptick, with 97.2 million PlayStation 5 and 4 games sold in the last three months of 2025, compared to 95.9 million in the same period in 2024.
This sustained interest has led to speculation that Sony might delay the release of the PlayStation 6, as the current console continues to perform strongly in the market.
Supply Chain Concerns and Price Hike Warnings
Sony's chief financial officer, Lin Tao, addressed investors regarding the global memory shortage, which could impact all gaming hardware. Tao assured that the company has secured enough supply to meet demand for the 2026 holiday season but acknowledged ongoing negotiations with suppliers.
When questioned about potential price increases and hardware delays, Tao avoided specifics but confirmed that "there will be some impact." This has raised concerns among consumers about further cost escalations for the PS5.
Future Strategy and Market Expectations
Sony expects console sales to gradually decline as the PlayStation 5 enters the latter part of its life cycle. To counter this, the company plans to focus on monetising its existing install base and expanding software and network service revenue.
This strategy may involve releasing more console exclusives, though it remains surprising that Sony is forecasting a hardware sales dip in a year when Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch in November—a title expected to boost console purchases significantly.
As the gaming industry navigates supply challenges and evolving consumer demand, Sony's approach to pricing and product development will be closely watched by analysts and players alike.
