The PlayStation 5 turned five years old on November 11, 2025, and Sony marked the occasion by releasing financial results that prove the console is far from slowing down. Despite being in the second half of its lifecycle and facing a $50 price increase in the United States, the PS5 shipped 3.9 million units during the quarter ending September 30, bringing lifetime shipments to 84.2 million units worldwide. That’s only 100,000 more than the same period last year, but considering the economic challenges and price hikes, maintaining flat sales is actually impressive.
The real surprise came from Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch’s sequel to Ghost of Tsushima that launched October 2, 2025. The samurai action game sold through 3.3 million units in just 32 days, crushing expectations and vastly outperforming Astro Bot from the same period last year. For context, that’s a massive launch that proves PlayStation’s first-party studios can still deliver blockbuster hits even without the Marvel or Star Wars brands attached.
PS5 Sales Remain Strong Despite Challenges
The 84.2 million lifetime shipment figure positions the PS5 as Sony’s second most successful console behind only the PlayStation 4, which sold 86 million units at the same point in its lifecycle. The PS5 has now officially surpassed the PlayStation 3’s lifetime total of around 87 million units, and is on track to potentially match or exceed the PS4’s final tally of 117 million units if it maintains momentum through the rest of this generation.
What makes these numbers impressive is context. Sony raised prices for both the standard PS5 and the new PS5 Pro in the United States by $50 to offset tariffs and rising component costs. Price increases typically depress sales, yet the console still managed to ship 3.9 million units during the July-September quarter. That’s essentially flat compared to the 3.8 million units shipped during the same period last year, suggesting demand remains robust despite higher prices.
The economic environment hasn’t helped either. Consumer spending on entertainment and discretionary purchases has tightened across most markets. Gaming hardware sales industry-wide have been soft in 2025 compared to previous years. Yet PlayStation maintained its sales velocity, indicating strong brand loyalty and compelling software driving hardware purchases.
Ghost of Yotei Crushes Launch Expectations
Ghost of Yotei’s 3.3 million units sold in 32 days represents one of PlayStation’s strongest first-party launches in recent memory. For comparison, Astro Bot, which launched during the same period in 2024, sold significantly fewer copies despite critical acclaim and aggressive marketing. The original Ghost of Tsushima took longer to reach similar sales milestones, making Yotei’s performance all the more impressive.
The sequel shifted protagonist from Jin Sakai to a new character named Atsu, a female warrior seeking revenge against the Yotei Six in 1603 Hokkaido. Set 300 years after the original game’s Mongol invasion storyline, Yotei explores Japan’s Edo period with expanded combat mechanics, deeper customization, and a larger open world featuring Mount Yotei.
Reviews praised the game’s visual fidelity, cinematic combat, and emotional storytelling while criticizing some repetitive mission structures and familiar gameplay loops. But clearly those criticisms didn’t prevent commercial success. Strong word-of-mouth, aggressive marketing, and the built-in audience from Ghost of Tsushima’s 13 million lifetime sales propelled Yotei to blockbuster status.
The success also validates Sony’s strategy of investing in prestige single-player experiences despite industry trends toward live service games. While Sony has multiple live service projects in development, titles like Ghost of Yotei prove traditional narrative-driven games can still deliver massive commercial returns when executed well.
PlayStation Network Keeps Growing
Beyond hardware and software sales, Sony reported 119 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network as of September 30, 2025. That’s up 3 million from 116 million during the same period last year, showing consistent growth in the active player base even as hardware sales plateau.
This metric matters more than hardware sales for Sony’s long-term profitability. PlayStation Network generates recurring revenue through PlayStation Plus subscriptions, digital game sales, and microtransactions across free-to-play titles. Growing the active user base by 3 million year-over-year demonstrates healthy engagement despite the console being five years old.
The company’s record for monthly active users stands at 129 million set during holiday periods. With 119 million users already on the network before the crucial November-December shopping season, Sony is positioned to potentially break that record if holiday game releases and promotions drive engagement.
Software Sales Show Digital Dominance
Combined PS5 and PS4 software sold 80.3 million units during the quarter, up 2.6 million from 77.7 million during the same period last year. Of that total, 6.3 million units were first-party titles, up 1 million year-over-year thanks largely to Ghost of Yotei’s strong performance.
The most striking statistic is digital’s dominance. 72 percent of all software sales were full game digital downloads, up from 70 percent the previous year. This continues the industry-wide trend toward digital distribution, which offers Sony significantly higher profit margins compared to physical retail where manufacturing, shipping, and retailer cuts eat into revenue.
For publishers and Sony, the digital shift is fantastic for profitability. For consumers, it’s more complicated. Digital games can’t be resold or traded, and you’re dependent on Sony maintaining server access indefinitely. But the convenience of instant downloads and not needing to swap discs clearly outweighs these concerns for most players.
Operating Income Down Despite Strong Sales
While revenue increased, operating income for Sony’s Game & Network Services division fell 13 percent year-over-year. The decline stems primarily from impairment losses against Bungie’s intangible assets related to Destiny 2’s underperformance, plus corrections to previously capitalized development costs.
Sony acquired Bungie in 2022 for $3.6 billion expecting the live service expertise to bolster PlayStation’s games-as-a-service strategy. But Destiny 2’s player counts and revenue have declined significantly in 2025, forcing Sony to write down a portion of the acquisition’s value. This accounting adjustment hurts profitability even though it doesn’t represent actual cash loss.
The capitalized development cost correction likely relates to projects that got canceled or significantly reworked during development. When studios capitalize development costs rather than expensing them immediately, they’re betting those games will eventually generate revenue justifying the investment. When projects get canceled, those capitalized costs must be written off, creating one-time charges that depress operating income.
Neither issue indicates fundamental problems with PlayStation’s business. Revenue is growing, users are increasing, and hardware sales remain strong. These are accounting adjustments related to specific investments that didn’t pan out as hoped, not signs of broader decline.
Looking Ahead to Holiday Season
Sony’s fiscal year runs through March 2026, meaning the crucial November-December holiday shopping season falls within Q3 results that won’t be reported until February. This period typically represents PlayStation’s strongest sales quarter driven by gift purchases, Black Friday promotions, and major game releases.
The lineup heading into holidays looks strong. Ghost of Yotei will continue selling through the season. Various third-party releases including major franchises launch during this window. And Sony’s marketing machine goes into overdrive with television commercials, digital advertising, and retail promotions driving hardware and software purchases.
The PS5 Pro launched in September starting at $699 without a disc drive, targeting enthusiasts willing to pay premium prices for better performance. While the Pro won’t sell anywhere near base PS5 volumes, it provides a high-margin option capturing additional revenue from core gamers. Early reports suggest Pro stock sold out quickly at many retailers, indicating demand exists at that price point.
State of Play Japan Coming
Sony hasn’t revealed much about its first-party lineup beyond Saros launching March 2026 and Marvel’s Wolverine targeting Fall 2026. But State of Play Japan aired on November 12, potentially filling gaps with announcements primarily focused on Japanese and Asian-developed titles.
Previous State of Play broadcasts revealed major games like Final Fantasy XVI, Stellar Blade, and Rise of the Ronin. The Japan-focused event typically showcases JRPGs, action games, and quirky Japanese titles that perform well in Asian markets while finding niche Western audiences.
Whether any major first-party announcements happen during State of Play Japan remains uncertain. Sony has been conservative about announcing games too early after several projects faced lengthy delays. But the company needs to start building hype for 2026 releases soon, making this broadcast a potential venue for reveals.
FAQs
How many PS5 consoles have been sold?
As of September 30, 2025, Sony has shipped 84.2 million PlayStation 5 units worldwide since the console’s launch in November 2020. The console shipped 3.9 million units during the quarter ending September 30.
How did Ghost of Yotei perform at launch?
Ghost of Yotei sold through 3.3 million units in its first 32 days following the October 2, 2025 release. This significantly outperformed Astro Bot from the same period last year and represents one of PlayStation’s strongest first-party launches.
When did the PS5 release?
The PlayStation 5 launched on November 12, 2020, in most markets including North America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It launched November 19, 2020, in Europe and other regions.
How does PS5 compare to PS4 sales?
The PS5 has shipped 84.2 million units compared to the PS4’s 86 million at the same point in its lifecycle, putting it slightly behind on a time-aligned basis. The PS4 ultimately sold 117 million lifetime units.
How many PlayStation Network users are there?
PlayStation Network had 119 million monthly active users as of September 30, 2025, up 3 million from 116 million during the same period in 2024.
What percentage of PlayStation game sales are digital?
72 percent of full game software sales on PlayStation were digital downloads during Q2 FY2025, up from 70 percent the previous year, continuing the industry trend toward digital distribution.
When is the next PlayStation financial report?
Sony’s Q3 FY2025 financial results covering the October-December 2025 period will be released in February 2026, providing insight into holiday season performance.
Conclusion
The PlayStation 5’s fifth birthday brings strong financial results proving the console remains commercially viable despite being in the second half of its lifecycle. The 84.2 million lifetime shipments position it to potentially match the PS4’s lifetime sales if momentum continues through the next few years before a PS6 eventually launches.
Ghost of Yotei’s 3.3 million units sold in one month validates Sony’s continued investment in prestige single-player experiences. While the industry chases live service revenue, traditional narrative-driven games can still deliver blockbuster commercial performance when developed by talented studios with proven track records.
The growing PlayStation Network user base and increasing digital sales percentage demonstrate the long-term health of Sony’s gaming ecosystem beyond just hardware sales. Recurring revenue through subscriptions and digital purchases creates sustainable profitability even as hardware sales eventually decline toward the generation’s end.
Operating income challenges related to Bungie and development cost corrections represent specific issues rather than systemic problems. PlayStation’s core business remains strong with growing revenue, expanding user base, and successful game launches driving the division forward.
As the crucial holiday season approaches, Sony is well-positioned with strong momentum, compelling software lineup, and the premium PS5 Pro option capturing high-margin sales from enthusiasts. Whether the company can break its monthly active user record and deliver strong Q3 results will determine if 2025 ends as a victory lap for the five-year-old console or a concerning sign that age is finally catching up. But based on Q2 results, the PS5 still has plenty of life left before thoughts turn to next generation hardware.