According to video game market researcher Niko Partners, Sony shipped five times more PS5 consoles compared to Xbox Series X|S in the first three months of 2024. In terms of numbers, Sony shipped 4.5 million PS5 units between January and March. This takes the lifetime total sales of PS5 to 59.2 million.
“The PlayStation 5 has sold 59.2 million units as of March 31, 2024,” wrote Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at Niko Partners. “This is slightly behind the PS4 in the same time frame (60 million). They do not expect the PS5 to surpass the PS4 in the next year.”
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“In other words, while console hardware sales are healthy, Sony is unable to sell more than the prior gen. That’s why there has been a huge focus on increasing ARPU for console users and also embracing a beyond console strategy (PC etc.…).”
Microsoft doesn’t report the sales of Xbox Series X|S. However, it admitted that its revenue from hardware sales dropped significantly in the first quarter of the year. Microsoft recorded a rise in software sales, thanks to sales of Activision Blizzard software.
According to a report, Xbox hardware revenue declined 31% year-over-year. Although both consoles launched in 2020, PS5 had outsold Xbox series X|S by 2-to-1 at the end of 2023, according to data shared by Take-Two Interactive. However, Ampere Analysis estimates that PS5 sales surpassed Xbox Series X|S by almost 3-to-1.
PS5 initially met supply chain challenges after launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That significantly affected its sales numbers. Although the supply issues have now been resolved, Ahmad expects PS5 sales to continue to lag behind PS4.
Microsoft admitted to losing the console wars. It consistently ranked third behind Sony and Nintendo since debuting the original Xbox in 2001. In February, Xbox executives announced that four Xbox exclusives were going to rival platforms. That news didn’t go well with the Xbox community.
