It looks like the end times for the PlayStation 5 are nearing. The console has now sold 93.7 million units in its lifetime, making it the eighth best-selling console of all time; but it just had its worst quarter ever.
This comes as Sony expects profit for the coming year to remain flat, “Due to the incorporation of an increase in investment for the next-generation platform.”
The PS5 just had its worst quarter as Sony invests in next-gen hardware
Last quarter, between January and March 2026, Sony shipped 1.5 million PS5 consoles, according to an investor report released today. That's significantly lower than any other quarter, with sales never falling below two million until now.
These sales make FY2025 the worst for the console since FY2021, when console shortages were still an issue after the launch of the PS5.
You can check out a quarter-by-quarter breakdown below:
|
Q1 (Apr–Jun) |
Q2 (Jul–Sep) |
Q3 (Oct–Dec) |
Q4 (January–March) |
Total (FY) |
||
|
FY2020 |
— |
— |
4.5 |
3.3 |
7.8 |
|
|
FY2021 |
2.3 |
3.3 |
3.9 |
2 |
11.5 |
|
|
FY2022 |
2.4 |
3.3 |
7.1 |
6.3 |
19.1 |
|
|
FY2023 |
3.3 |
4.9 |
8.2 |
4.5 |
20.8 |
|
|
FY2024 |
2.4 |
3.8 |
9.5 |
2.8 |
18.5 |
|
|
FY2025 |
2.5 |
3.9 |
8 |
1.5 |
15.9 |
It won't get any better next quarter either. These numbers reflect the period before the PlayStation 5's latest price increase, and if gamers didn't buy the console before the increase, they probably won't be after. Especially with current events causing the cost of living to rise further.
However, the latter half of the year is likely to be much better for Sony. The company has reportedly secured marketing rights for Grand Theft Auto 6, a game that is the literal definition of a system seller. With the game expected to be one of the biggest of all time, you can expect it to move plenty of PlayStation 5s.
Speaking of software, sales also fell during the fourth quarter. The 74.6 million units are down from the previous two quarters and fall outside the top ten quarters for software sales on the platform. Of the 22 quarters the PS5 has seen, its software sales rank 11th, right in the middle.
|
Q1 (Apr–Jun) |
Q2 (Jul–Sep) |
Q3 (Oct–Dec) |
Q4 (January–March) |
Total (FY) |
|
|
FY2020 |
— |
— |
104.2 |
61.4 |
165.6 |
|
FY2021 |
63.6 |
76.4 |
92.7 |
70.5 |
303.2 |
|
FY2022 |
47.2 |
62.5 |
86.5 |
68 |
264.2 |
|
FY2023 |
56.5 |
67.6 |
89.7 |
72.6 |
286.4 |
|
FY2024 |
53.6 |
77.7 |
95.9 |
76.1 |
303.3 |
|
FY2025 |
65.9 |
80.3 |
97.2 |
74.6 |
318 |
However, there is a message of hope from Sony. As expected, work on its new hardware, presumably the PlayStation 6, is well underway. This means Sony doesn't expect to make more money in the coming year, as any additional profits will essentially be reinvested into what's next. Given that Microsoft has now started promoting its next console, codenamed Project Helix, I expect Sony to follow suit soon.
It's hard to deny that this console generation has been a disappointment for Sony. While 93.7 million units is nothing to sneeze at, its relative lack of exclusives has been frustrating.
The PS4 had titles like Spider-Man, God of War, Uncharted 4, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part 2 and Bloodborne, while the PS5 comparatively only has really had Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Yotei. Of course, this is somewhat reductive, ignoring titles like Saros, but there is a clear difference.
You have to imagine a lot of lessons will have been learned by Sony this generation, and despite growing development times, you hope they'll put them right for the next one.
- Stamp
-
Sony
- Original release date
-
November 12, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
-
$499, €499, £449, £49,980 (Base) // $399, €399, £359, £39,980 (Digital),
- Operating system
-
Orbis Olympics
- Processor
-
Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2
- Resolution
-
720p – 8K
