PS5 has outsold Xbox Series X/S 2-1, data suggests

PlayStation 5 had outsold Xbox Series X/S by around 2-to-1 as of the end of 2023, according to data shared by Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two.

In an investor presentation released on Thursday alongside its quarterly financial results, the company said 77 million current-gen consoles had been sold as of December 31, 2023.

Representing combined PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sales, the data was sourced from one of (or a combination of) research firms IDG Consulting and Newzoo, and the Entertainment Software Association.

Sony’s and Microsoft’s consoles launched in November 2020. While Microsoft hasn’t confirmed exact sales numbers for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 surpassed 50 million sales on December 9, 2023, according to Sony.

Assuming Sony’s console managed to sell at least another 1.34 million units during the remainder of December, and that the data Take-Two shared is accurate, PS5’s lifetime sales would be double those of Xbox Series X/S at the end of 2023.

During 2023 alone, PS5 sales outpaced Xbox Series X/S by almost 3-to-1, according to estimates published last month by research firm Ampere Analysis.

Last year, Microsoft openly admitted to having “lost the console wars”, after consistently ranking third behind PlayStation and Nintendo in terms of sales since entering the market with the original Xbox in 2001.

Xbox’s third-place position in the console market has helped fuel speculation that Microsoft is planning to release more of its games on rival platforms.

In recent weeks, it has been claimed that Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and the Gears of War franchise could be coming to PlayStation, in addition to previously rumoured Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves ports for Sony’s console and Nintendo Switch.

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“We’re listening and we hear you,” Phil Spencer wrote on X. “We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.”