Unit sales of handheld and home video game consoles in Japan 2024
The PlayStation 5 sold about 4.83 million units in Japan as of May 2024, while the Xbox Series X sold around 270 thousand units. Sony and Microsoft launched the current generation of video game consoles in November 2020. Both companies also offer downgraded but more affordable versions of their products: While the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition was less popular than the standard model, the Xbox Series S was able to sell more units than the Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch OLED Model, which was released in October 2021, sold more than 7.2 million units since its launch.
The Japanese console gaming market
The Japanese video game market is one of the biggest gaming markets in the world. While smartphones are the most popular gaming devices in Japan today and drive the economic growth of the gaming industry as a whole, console gaming remains a large industry worth several hundred billion Japanese yen. The most successful titles can sell several million copies in the course of a single year. In 2017, the successful launch of the Nintendo Switch brought about the first growth of sales revenue for the gaming console industry after a longer period of declining revenue figures.
Leading video game companies
While the competition in the hardware market is more evenly distributed in other countries, Sony and Nintendo clearly outpace Microsoft in their home market. Next to two of the three major hardware companies, Japan is also home to some of the world’s leading gaming software developers, such as Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Capcom. Their products, which include game franchises like "Final Fantasy" or "Street Fighter," are not only well-received in Japan, but also have a broad audience internationally.
The Japanese console gaming market
The Japanese video game market is one of the biggest gaming markets in the world. While smartphones are the most popular gaming devices in Japan today and drive the economic growth of the gaming industry as a whole, console gaming remains a large industry worth several hundred billion Japanese yen. The most successful titles can sell several million copies in the course of a single year. In 2017, the successful launch of the Nintendo Switch brought about the first growth of sales revenue for the gaming console industry after a longer period of declining revenue figures.
Leading video game companies
While the competition in the hardware market is more evenly distributed in other countries, Sony and Nintendo clearly outpace Microsoft in their home market. Next to two of the three major hardware companies, Japan is also home to some of the world’s leading gaming software developers, such as Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Capcom. Their products, which include game franchises like "Final Fantasy" or "Street Fighter," are not only well-received in Japan, but also have a broad audience internationally.
