Sony has officially announced a major milestone for its current-generation console, the PlayStation 5 (PS5), confirming that it has sold 84.2 million units worldwide since its launch in November 2020. The figure, revealed in Sony’s Q2 2025 financial report, reflects the PS5’s steady and resilient performance in a highly competitive global gaming market.
Key Takeaways
- Total Sales Figure: The PlayStation 5 has sold 84.2 million units globally since its November 2020 debut.
- Recent Quarterly Performance: Sony shipped 3.9 million PS5 units during the second quarter of the 2025 fiscal year.
- Comparison to PS4: The PS5’s sales pace is nearly equal to the PS4’s performance during its first five years on the market.
- Software and Services: First-party software sales increased, though PlayStation Network (PSN) monthly active users dipped slightly to 119 million from the previous quarter.
- Exclusive Content Success: The new first-party title, Ghost of Yotei, sold 3.3 million copies shortly after release.
During the quarter ending September 30, 2025, the company shipped an additional 3.9 million units, marking consistent growth as the console enters its fifth year on the market. What’s particularly striking is how closely the PS5’s sales are tracking against its predecessor, the PlayStation 4 (PS4). Despite facing early challenges such as pandemic-related supply shortages and a higher launch price, the PS5 is just under 2 million units behind where the PS4 stood at the same point in its lifecycle. Considering the PS4 had reached roughly 86 million units after five years, the PS5’s near-par performance is a testament to the enduring power of the PlayStation brand.
Steady Momentum and Market Position
The continued strength in PS5 sales is particularly notable given the challenges the console faced early on. Despite those obstacles, it has quickly become a leading force in the high-end console segment. The PS5 is often praised for its Ultra High-Speed SSD, which allows near-instant load times, 3D Audio technology that deepens immersion, and its DualSense controller, which introduces advanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. These features, while technical, genuinely change how games feel to play. Perhaps that’s why interest has stayed so steady even years into its life cycle.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the arm behind the PlayStation brand, considers this generation its most financially successful yet. The company’s broader strategy isn’t just about hardware but about widening its reach. That includes attracting more female players and expanding into emerging markets like South America.
In India, for example, the PS5’s popularity stems from its strong performance and extensive library of both blockbuster exclusives and third-party games. The typical PlayStation demographic remains centered around men and, increasingly, women between 18 and 35 who value high-performance gaming and immersive storytelling.
Looking Ahead: Longer Lifecycle and Future Growth
Sony’s outlook suggests the PS5 may enjoy a longer lifecycle than the traditional seven-year console span. This could mean continued hardware updates and a growing lineup of first-party titles for years to come. The anticipation surrounding upcoming major releases, especially Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI), which is set to launch in November 2026, could give PS5 sales another major push.
Right now, the PS5 has officially surpassed all previous Xbox consoles in lifetime sales, underscoring Sony’s commanding position in the console landscape. Whether it will eventually overtake the PS4’s lifetime total of over 117 million units remains to be seen. It’s not a certainty, but if current momentum continues, it’s at least within reach, and that, in itself, says a lot about how enduring the PlayStation name has become.
Related Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When did the PlayStation 5 launch?
A. The PlayStation 5 launched in November 2020.
Q. What are the main specifications of the PS5?
A. The PS5 features an AMD Ryzen “Zen 2” 8-core CPU (up to 3.5 GHz), an AMD Radeon RDNA 2-based GPU (up to 2.23 GHz, 10.3 TFLOPS), and 16GB of GDDR6 system memory.
Q. What is the difference between the PS5 console and the PS5 Digital Edition?
A. The main difference is that the standard PS5 console includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, while the PS5 Digital Edition does not have a disc drive.
Q. Is the PS5 selling faster than the PS4?
A. The PS5 sales pace is very close to the PS4’s sales at the same point in its lifecycle, currently trailing by a small margin.
Q. How many units did Sony sell in the latest quarter?
A. Sony shipped 3.9 million PS5 units in the second quarter of the 2025 fiscal year.
