Sony PlayStation 5 Hits Milestone: 50 Million Units Sold

Sony reported on Wednesday that its PlayStation 5 (PS5) system had sold 50 million copies since its introduction three years ago, joining the PlayStation 4, which sold 50 million units in 2016, three years after its 2013 release.

According to a report from Polygon, the PS5 reached 50 million sales one week earlier than the PS4, with 161 weeks compared to 160 weeks. This is particularly noteworthy considering the early challenges posed by significant supply constraints that impacted the PS5's sales.

Enthusiasts faced difficulties securing the high-demand, low-supply system in the months following the video game console's launch. It wasn't until 2023 that Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan officially declared the end of the global PS5 shortage.

November Marks Milestone PS Console Sales

Ryan's assurance that finding a PS5 would become significantly easier marked a turning point in the availability of the sought-after console. This positive trend gained momentum and was highlighted at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where Ryan revealed that December 2022 marked the "biggest month ever for PS5 console sales," reaching 30 million units sold by that point.

The momentum continued, with Eric Lempel, Senior VP for global marketing, sales, and business operations at SIE, disclosing that the Black Friday sales period in 2023 marked the biggest November for PlayStation sales in both units and revenues in the history of PlayStation.

Expressing gratitude to players for their support, Ryan emphasized that this holiday season marked the first time since launch that a full supply of PS5 consoles was available, making it accessible to anyone interested.

A survey of online retailers just days before Christmas supported Ryan's statement, with various stand-alone PS5 consoles and bundles, including popular games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, in stock at online retailers, including PlayStation's direct-sales store.

PlayStation's Rise Continues

It was revealed in July 2023 that the PlayStation 5 (PS5) had achieved an impressive 40 million in sales. Ampere Analysis reports that the system has surpassed the Xbox Series X/S by roughly three to one this year. Sony intends to ship 25 million PS5 systems by March 2024 to break the 25-year-old original PlayStation record of 22.6 million, per VGC.

Sony introduced a new PS5 Slim model in November, strategically positioning it as the sole option once the original model's inventory depletes. Additionally, rumors have surfaced about a potential PS5 Pro launch in late 2024, featuring a proprietary DLSS-like solution.

TechTimes earlier reported that PS5 Slim models have an expanded storage capacity. The latest PS5 variants include 1TB of internal storage, giving players more room for game installs than the original 825GB.

According to data from Ampere Analysis, as reported by The Verge, PlayStation sales increased significantly by 65 percent this year to reach 22.5 million units, outpacing the declining performance of both the Nintendo Switch and Xbox, which decreased by 18 percent and 15 percent, respectively.