Sony unit sales of PlayStation consoles 2011-2020, by quarter

Sony sold a total of one million PlayStation 4 gaming consoles in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2020, falling short of its overall total from the corresponding quarter of 2019. Around 7.2 million PS4 units were sold in 2020, reaching an all-time low figure as the ninth generation console from Sony, the PlayStation 5 launched end of the year. 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 fourth, generating an additional 113 million unit sales throughout its lifetime. The online entertainment network associated with the consoles is called the PlayStation Network, and as of March 2021 had around 109 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.