Sony’s PS5 sales eclipse PS3 in record time, reaching 80M units worldwide

Sony’s PS5 sales in the U.S. have surpassed the PlayStation 3’s lifetime sales, overshadowing the PS3’s seven-year achievement before its fifth birthday despite the August price hike. Circana’s Mat Piscatella was the first to share the fact on Bluesky, noting the flip happened during September sales.       

Circana’s U.S. video game retail data for September revealed that PS5 sales increased by 10% compared to August, as more gamers chose to ignore the single-digit percentage price hike to add the console to their setups. Piscatella observed that PS5’s higher price tag did not appear to significantly negatively impact unit sales in September. 

PS5’s installed base also eclipsed the PS3’s in another milestone for PlayStation. However, Piscatella noted that the PS4’s installed base was significantly higher in 2020 than the PS5’s is today, partly due to the launch of Ghost of Tsushima. He also mentioned that the attach rate of PlayStation Portal to PS5 hardware now exceeds 5%. 

Nishino calls PS5 the most successful generation 

The CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Hideaki Nishino, called PS5 the most financially successful console generation. In a speech delivered in Japanese, Nishino pointed out that Sony’s gaming division, G&NS, generated over $136 billion in sales during the PS5 generation (2020 onwards). The executive claimed that this surpassed sales made during all the other consoles.

According to Nishino, Sony’s G&NS generated $24 billion during the PS1’s reign, $44 billion during the PS2 generation, $71 billion during the PS3’s reign, and $107 billion during the PS4’s generation (2013-2019). However, he mentioned that these figures also include sales generated from previous consoles.

Sony’s most recent sales data indicate that PS5 consoles have sold an estimated 80.3 million units worldwide as of June 30, 2025. However, PS4’s global sales outnumber this at $117.2 billion.

Nishino said his company will continue to push the limits of play and strive to become the best environment for gamers to play and developers to publish. He pointed out that PlayStation is more than just the hardware, adding that it is about the whole experience.

Sony says consoles still beat cloud gaming

The Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO explained that console hardware remains necessary, despite the rise of cloud gaming over the past decade. He confirmed that this will continue to be a viable business model for PS3, PS4, and PS5 generations.

However, Nishino believes that the cloud gaming business model must be sustainable for long-term growth, and this may be impossible for Sony to guarantee. He pointed out that although cloud gaming is progressing well from a technical standpoint, the network’s end-to-end stability is out of Sony’s control. 

Nishino further emphasized that gamers want a gaming experience that can only be achieved through a local execution on a console, and without dependency on network conditions. He disclosed that a recent poll on PS4 and PS5 owners/players/gamers validated this thesis. 

Meanwhile, Sony emphasized that it remains committed to consoles, at least for the time being. However, it did not disclose any details about a next-generation console, despite rumors circulating about a handheld PS6.

“While we cannot share further details at this stage, the future of the platform is top of mind. We are committed to exploring a new and enhanced way for players to engage with our content and our services.” 

–Hideaki Nishino, CEO at Sony Interactive Entertainment

Nishino claimed that Sony’s console business has grown exponentially over time into a multi-faceted platform. He noted that SIE’s large ecosystem of highly engaged players and gamers across the PS4 and PS5 generations is naturally interested in the company’s next-generation console strategy. 

The executive hinted that a PlayStation 6 console could be on the way, explaining that most console manufacturers typically begin work on next-generation consoles immediately after releasing their current-generation consoles. Nishino believes that Sony developing a PlayStation 6 should not be a surprise, adding that it has perhaps been in the works for the past five years.

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