More than 6.3 million PlayStation 5 consoles were shipped in the first three months of the year, Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed.
The figure appears to be a record for any games console in the same window, doubling the equivalent all-time peak of 3m for the PlayStation 4. Reassuringly for Sony, it’s also an enormous leap on PS5 sales during the same window last year. Hindered by significant supply constraints, the console shipped just a third of that figure in the opening to 2022.
© Sony
The impressive statistics revealed during an earning's call this friday push PS5 units shipped so far to 38.3m in total. That’s actually slightly behind the PS4’s total of 40m within the same lifetime. But the new boost will give hope to Sony that the PS5 could catch up soon, especially given the easing of supply constraints.
The strong sales provide a significant boost to Sony’s 2022 financial year results, raising the console just above the company’s target of 19m. That is itself a jump upon the 2021 financial year sales of 11.5m. In the 2023 FY, Sony has said that it is expecting to increase that total further, shipping a record 25m consoles by April 2024.
During the January to March window, digital sales accounted for 70% of all games across PS5 and PS4, and PS Plus recorded a total of 47.4m users.
© Sony Interactive Entertainment
Early in 2023, Sony publicly announced that PS5’s were now far more available, stating that potential buyers “should now have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally.” The news came alongside the launch of a new “Live from PS5” marketing campaign which features titles like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West.
February also saw the launch of the PlayStation VR2 headset, Sony’s PS5-exclusive virtual reality system. Strong sales of the console itself could open up the opportunity for an uptake in virtual reality players as well.
