In the first 116 days of 2025, Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) significantly outperformed Microsoft’s Xbox X|S series of consoles, having delivered 3.25 million units within the time frame.
On average, Sony was selling just over 28,508 of its flagship console every single day of the year, according to calculations run by Finbold research and made using preliminary data retrieved from VGChartz.
Within the same time frame, Microsoft sold 730,000 units of the current generation Xbox – more than four times fewer – for a daily average of just over 6,403.
Furthermore, Finbold research found that the two consoles’ performance in 2025 is consistent with the overall dynamic seen since the ninth generation launched, as 75.2 million PlayStation 5s and 32.7 million Xboxes have been shipped by April 25.
Sony has no reason to celebrate despite PS5 taking the top spot
Although both the total and the 2025 number of PlayStation 5 consoles sold appear impressive at first glance, it is worth noting that the product severely underperformed its predecessors, with multiple outlets highlighting how it squandered the momentum achieved by the PS4.
The product’s woes have been widely attributed to a lack of exclusive video games, with only 25 such titles existing by late 2024, and with the vast majority of them leaving a minimal footprint in the industry.
PS5’s issues can also be attributed to a troubled launch, marked by the COVID-19 era mismatch between supply bottlenecks, a surge in demand, and the fact that the situation was only made worse by the prevalence of automated scalpers.
Indeed, many customers complained at the time about how impossible it was to purchase the PS5 at its nominal price and about the long wait times. Overall, the situation ensured that the generation’s cultural relevance was dimmed from the very start.
Series X|S underwhelms Xbox fans
Similarly, the Xbox has been noted as Microsoft’s worst-performing console due to similar supply and demand issues, as well as scalping, and also due to what many have described as a lack of video games in general.
While the reasons for the title drought are many, technical issues with Xbox itself have been commonly cited, due to the well-known roadblocks Larian, the studio behind one of the most popular video games of 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3, faced while attempting to create a console port.
Still, based on numerous reports, Microsoft itself has not been particularly bothered over the problems with Xbox, likely thanks to its being well-positioned to take advantage of cloud gaming, and already benefiting from having a lion’s share of the PC gaming market.
Unlike Sony, Microsoft’s business is less affected for similar reasons by another factor that contributed to the ninth generation being underwhelming: cross-platform multiplayer, which has removed the need for friend groups to opt for one product over another collectively.
Nintendo wins the ninth-generation battle of the Console Wars
Amidst the relative failures of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the mid-generation console, the Nintendo Switch, appears to be a winner. Despite taking second place in terms of overall deliveries at 1.63 million – and, thus, in daily average sales, which Finbold estimated at 14,298 – it is nonetheless a resounding success.
The Switch is an older console, having been released in 2017, which makes its continued popularity, particularly over the newer ninth-generation Xbox, noteworthy. Its sales are particularly impressive, given that it is at the end of its life cycle with Nintendo scheduling the release of the successor console – Nintendo Switch 2 – for the second quarter (Q2) of 2025.
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