Sony unit sales of PlayStation consoles 2011-2019, by quarter

Sony sold a total of 6.1 million PlayStation 4 gaming consoles in the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, falling short of its overall total from the corresponding quarter of 2018. Around 17.8 million PS4 units were sold in 2018, a relatively successful figure considering that five years have passed since the console’s initial release. Sales of PlayStation consoles generally tend to peak in the company’s third fiscal quarter, which is the fourth calendar quarter, as people begin to prepare for the holiday season.

PlayStation

Sony’s PlayStation line of gaming consoles ranks as one of the most successful console brands of all time – five of its products ranking among the top ten highest selling consoles in history. The PlayStation 2 ranks at the top of this list with over 157 million units sold, while the more recent PS4 ranks sixth, generating an additional 92 million unit sales throughout its lifetime. The online entertainment network associated with the consoles is called the PlayStation Network, and as of March 2019 had around 94 million active users.

Gaming consoles

The console gaming industry is dominated by three major brands: Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. The newly released Nintendo Switch sold 17 million units in 2018 and ranks as one of the market’s most popular products alongside Sony’s PlayStation 4. Despite the fact that Microsoft’s Xbox One has failed to match the success of its predecessor, the Xbox 360, it also remains an important product in the market, with sales of nearly seven million units in 2018.