No One Saw It Coming: PS5 Sales Surge, Sony Finally Overtakes Nintendo
The console wars have just taken a dramatic turn! Sony has smashed through the milestone of 90 million PS5 units sold, overtaking Nintendo in the latest quarter. This marks a major shift in the balance of power across the gaming industry.
The Japanese giant Sony has just released its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, and the numbers speak for themselves: despite launching several years ago, the PS5 is still going strong. With record-breaking sales, software dominance, and a rapidly growing community, Sony’s flagship console is more relevant than ever in the gaming spotlight.
Image credit: Sony
A record quarter against the Switch 2
This is the news shaking up Kyoto: in the three months ending September 30, 2025, Sony sold 8 million PlayStation 5s, outpacing the 7.01 million Switch 2 units sold by Nintendo during the same period. This win is even sweeter for Sony, as it comes during the very first full quarter of Nintendo’s much-hyped new console.
These impressive figures push total PS5 sales to over 90 million units since its 2020 launch. As of September 30, this cements the console’s remarkable staying power—even if sales dipped slightly year-over-year, with quarterly numbers down by 1.5 million units. Still, this minor slowdown does little to dent Sony’s current dominance in the high-end segment.
Game sales are booming
PS5’s success goes far beyond hardware. On the software side, Sony is thriving, with 97.2 million games sold across PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 combined this quarter—a year-over-year increase. This momentum is fueled by the rise of digital sales and an aggressive strategy featuring frequent, enticing PlayStation Store promotions.
Right now, Sony is spotlighting its Critics’ Choice sale, letting players grab critically acclaimed games at discounted prices. It’s the perfect way to boost sales, win over late adopters, and expand digital libraries—all while showcasing the best of PlayStation’s catalog.
Enjoy acclaimed adventures for less with PlayStation Store's Critics' Choice promotion, live now https://t.co/entHPY2rsO pic.twitter.com/fM7HHSxOr0
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 4, 2026
PlayStation Network: more essential than ever
The PlayStation ecosystem is also powered by a massive community. The PlayStation Network—which includes PS Plus and the PS Store—now boasts 132 million monthly active users, up from 129 million a year ago. This growth highlights the vibrancy of the PlayStation community and the appeal of Sony’s online services:
- +3 million active users in a year
- Stronger engagement with subscriptions and digital services
- PS Plus and PS Store at the heart of player loyalty
Another key stat: 76% of full game sales are now digital downloads, up two points from last year. The digital shift continues to reshape gaming habits.
Nintendo still leads the US market
While Sony can celebrate its quarterly win, Nintendo isn’t out of the race. For all of 2025, the Switch 2 led console sales in the United States, proving the battle is far from over. Launched in June 2025, Nintendo’s new console had already attracted 17.37 million players by December 31, 2025.
This legendary rivalry between the two Japanese giants recalls the golden age of the console wars. The original Switch currently sits at number two on the all-time leaderboard with 155.37 million units sold, just behind the unbeatable PlayStation 2 and its 160 million units since launch over a quarter-century ago—a record that still taunts all its successors and stands as a testament to the golden era of 2000s gaming.
