PS5 hits 50 million unit sales

Sony’s PlayStation 5 has hit a new sales milestone with 50 million PS5 consoles sold to date.

Four years into the PS5’s life – around the half-way point in most console generations – the console has sold an impressive 50 million units. That’s the claim being made by Reuters today, with a strong Black Friday period (indeed, the strongest yet for the console) nudging it over the line.

During the last financial year, Sony’s games business is said to have represented the largest portion of its sales, and the second largest portion of its operating profits after music.

The company is looking to sell 25 million PS5s in the current financial year (ending March 31), which is seen as an ambitious target.

Of course, the biggest driver of current PS5 sales is the simple fact that the console is now widely available to buy in shops. Its early years were hit hard by component shortages amidst the global lockdown, to the point where it’s only relatively recently been freely available.

Sony also launched some heavy cut price deals over the summer, which knocked a chunk off the cost of the original models. This was followed in November by the launch of the so-called PS5 Slim, adding fresh impetus to sales of console with a slimmer, more flexible design.

It also helps that Sony launched one of its biggest exclusive yet in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 back in October.

Given recent reports of a precipitous drop in Xbox Series X and S sales in Europe, Sony will consider its 2023 a job well done.