In its most recent financial update, Sony announced that it sold 2.8 million PlayStation 5 consoles over the past quarter, pushing total sales to an impressive 77.8 million units. However, this represents a decline of 1.7 million units compared to the same period last year, with total sales for 2023 standing at 18.5 million—down from 20.8 million the previous year.
Despite this dip, the PS5 is keeping pace with its predecessor, the PS4, which recorded 79.1 million sales during the same launch period. It’s worth noting that the holiday season saw a remarkable spike in PS5 sales last quarter, hitting a record high of 9.5 million units.
While year-over-year console sales have dipped, the overall gaming industry has witnessed a healthy growth of nine percent, with operating income soaring by 43 percent. Much of this growth stems from an increase in sales of third-party titles, even as sales of first-party games decline. It’s noteworthy that since the September launch of Astro Bot, which sold 1.5 million copies, Sony has yet to release another major title from its PlayStation Studios.
The PS5 continues to enjoy a robust user base, currently boasting 124 million active users each month, though this is a slight decrease from a peak of 129 million last quarter; nevertheless, it shows improvement compared to last year.
Looking to the future, Sony is bracing for a continued decline in both sales and profits in the upcoming financial year. With predictions indicating a downturn in hardware sales, it seems that console sales may have plateaued much like those of the PS4.
Earlier this year, Sony raised prices for the digital PS5 in several regions, including the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Following this trend, Microsoft also increased prices for its Xbox consoles in May. Questions remain about whether Sony will implement further price hikes, particularly for the much-anticipated PS5 Pro.
On the software side, the outlook for Sony looks bright, with the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach scheduled for next month, and Ghost of Yōtei expected on October 2. With the release of GTA 6 pushed back to 2026, the Ghost title is poised to attract significant interest as the year wraps up.
Death Stranding 2 is set to expand on its predecessor, offering enhanced experimentation, customization options, and nods to the Metal Gear series. For those interested in more details, Nova Play has published an engaging hands-on preview of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
