More PS4 games were sold in Europe last year than Xbox Series X/S games

PS4 game sales were higher than Xbox Series X/S software sales in Europe last year.

That’s according to GSD data published on GamesIndustry.biz, which covers physical game sales from major European markets and digital sales from most leading publishers, excluding Nintendo and 505 Games.

One potentially mitigating factor for Microsoft’s console is the impact of Xbox Game Pass on software sales, although how large an influence this had in Europe last year is unclear.

According to GSD, PS4 hardware sales across Europe in 2023 also rose 671% year-on-year following the easing of supply issues that hampered sales in 2022.

In contrast, Xbox Series X/S console sales were down nearly 18% year-on-year, although they were still higher than sales of the decade-old PS4.

182 million PC and console games were sold in total across Europe last year, which was up 1.7% compared to 2022.

PC was the largest platform for game sales, followed by PS5, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox Series X/S. Of these platforms, only Switch and PS4 saw a decline in software sales compared to the previous year.

EA Sports FC 24 was last year’s best-selling game in Europe, ahead of Hogwarts Legacy, FIFA 23, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Grand Theft Auto 5.

On the hardware front, total consoles sales were up almost 42% year-on-year to 7.4 million. PS5 was comfortably the No.1 platform following a 177% increase in sales year-on-year.

Switch held the No.2 spot but saw an almost 10% drop in sales compared to 2022. Xbox Series X/S came in at No.3, followed by PS4.