The PlayStation 5 has been an incredibly popular console since its release in November 2020, and it seems like it has only become more successful as time has gone on.
Since the PS5 became more accessible at the start of 2023, the console has boomed in popularity with sales figures showing it dominating the console charts.
Over half of console sales in the last six months have been PS5s
The PS5 has dominated console sales in the UK this year, but has been especially prominent in the last six months.
GfK data published on gamesindustry.biz shows that the PS5 has accounted for 43% of UK console sales over the 12 months leading up to October 2023.
The Sony console has been even more dominant in the last six months, however, with a massive 51% of console sales being attributed to the PlayStation.
GfK games boss Dorian Bloch has suggested that the increase in sales could be due to promotional deals and the fact that it is now easier to get your hands on a PlayStation 5 after they were so hard to come by before this year.
He said: “Recent PS5 highlights coming from unrestricted sales on the standard PS5 hardware model, aggressive price promotions in July and August, and the recent EA Sports FC 24 bundle.”
Sony is reportedly aiming to ship 25 million consoles before the end of the fiscal year in March 2024, which would break the 25-year-old sales record set by the original PlayStation.
Xbox and Nintendo Switch are not selling quite as well as the PlayStation
While the PlayStation is busy dominating the sales charts, Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles have both faced reduced console sales percentages in the last six months.
Bloch said: “Over the same measures [as the PlayStation] the Xbox Series consoles have dropped from 26% market share over the last 12 months to 23% over the last six months, but the biggest decline has been Switch, down from 34% to 25%.”
This is not necessarily surprising for the Nintendo Switch, which is entering its seventh year on the market, especially as rumours of the Switch 2 are becoming more and more frequent.
The Black Friday and Holiday sales periods will be interesting for all three consoles, and 2023 is shaping up to be the first year that all three major consoles are fully available for the season.
