While the PlayStation 5 surpassed its Xbox rivals in sales, it continues to lag behind the previous generation console.
Sony’s latest console had a slow start due to supply shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020. But after these shortages ended, sales of the current generation PlayStation console have steadily increased.
The success of the PS5 and its dominance over the Xbox
Compared to recent years, in addition to making the console itself easier to find, PlayStation 5’s strong sales figures are supported by strong first-party titles like God of War Ragnarok and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. The soon-to-be-released Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is expected to lead to more PS5 sales in the last quarter of the year, but the console has now passed key milestones.
Sony announced that as of July 16, it has sold 40 million PlayStation 5 consoles. As reported by IGN, Ampere’s Piers Harding-Rolls states that the PS5 passed this sales threshold at a slower pace than the PlayStation 4, with the new system still lagging behind its previous generation by a million units.
Still, reports show that the PS5 has sold nearly twice as much as Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S, as Microsoft’s consoles have allegedly reached more than 21 million users since their release in 2020.
Microsoft’s lawyers have acknowledged that in recent hearings surrounding Microsoft’s planned Activision Blizzard acquisition, the PS5 has outstripped Xbox Series X/S consoles in sales. But the Xbox is nothing to ignore; because Microsoft’s gaming division has reported a 1 percent sales increase over the past few months.
Sony’s goals and outlook
Still, current statistics show that the PlayStation 5 is selling out twice as fast as its Xbox rivals. This is a promising sign for Sony and a worrying situation for Microsoft as it prepares to strengthen Activision Blizzard’s gaming division. Rumor has it that Sony will launch the PlayStation 5 Slim console later this year, adding more to the already impressive sales figures.