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Global unit sales of video game consoles from 2008 to 2018
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Global unit sales of video game consoles from 2008 to 2018
Global unit sales of current generation video game consoles from 2008 to 2018 (in million units)
by A. Guttmann,
last edited
Jul 22, 2019
This statistic shows global sales of current generation game consoles from 2008 to 2018. With the introduction of PlayStation 4, the 2014 market belonged to Sony, with sales reaching 14.59 million units sold that year. In fact, as of recent, PlayStation had been successful in both the physical segment as well as online gaming through their PlayStation Plus service, as seen by the rising number of global subscribers.
Global game console industry - additional information
The global gaming industry has been developing at a fast pace in recent years. According to a 2016 forecast, worldwide video game sales have amounted to over 71.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 and are expected to grow to 90 billion by 2020, while the total number of video gamers is estimated at 1.8 billion around the world. Although the market involves many other production layers, at its core, two segments are the most important for the end consumer. One is the software segment, which includes developers, designers and artists, all working together towards delivering engaging and of high visual and technical quality games. The second most important segment is hardware, which ensures the quality and performance of the devices on which the games are played, be it computers, consoles or even smartphones.
Consoles are some of the most popular devices for gaming, as well as for other activities, especially among global gamers aged 25 to 34. The mass appeal of consoles predates the advent of the widespread home computer, as the earliest video console, Magnavox Odyssey, was introduced in the early 1970s in the United States. A more successful console was launched later that decade by Atari Inc., while the 1980s were largely dominated by Nintendo. In the past decade, the console market has been highly volatile and leaders have changed quite often, due to ever improving technologies. Although video game console sales have been decreasing in the past years, the most significant console manufacturers in the industry remain Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. As of 2015, Sony was the market leader based on unit sales. In that time combined PlayStation sales amounted to over 21 million units, compared to 9.5 million and 11.5 million for Microsoft and Nintendo game console sales figures respectively. In terms of console market share, Sony's results accounted for 50 percent of sales made by the industry's three giants.
Global unit sales of current generation video game consoles from 2008 to 2018 (in million units)
| Sony Playstation 4 | Nintendo Switch | XBox One | Nintendo 3DS | Sony Playstation Vita | Sony Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii U | Xbox360 | Sony PSP | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo DS | |
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| Sony Playstation 4 | Nintendo Switch | XBox One | Nintendo 3DS | Sony Playstation Vita | Sony Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii U | Xbox360 | Sony PSP | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo DS | |
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Description
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More information
by A. Guttmann,
last edited
Jul 22, 2019
This statistic shows global sales of current generation game consoles from 2008 to 2018. With the introduction of PlayStation 4, the 2014 market belonged to Sony, with sales reaching 14.59 million units sold that year. In fact, as of recent, PlayStation had been successful in both the physical segment as well as online gaming through their PlayStation Plus service, as seen by the rising number of global subscribers.
Global game console industry - additional information
The global gaming industry has been developing at a fast pace in recent years. According to a 2016 forecast, worldwide video game sales have amounted to over 71.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 and are expected to grow to 90 billion by 2020, while the total number of video gamers is estimated at 1.8 billion around the world. Although the market involves many other production layers, at its core, two segments are the most important for the end consumer. One is the software segment, which includes developers, designers and artists, all working together towards delivering engaging and of high visual and technical quality games. The second most important segment is hardware, which ensures the quality and performance of the devices on which the games are played, be it computers, consoles or even smartphones.
Consoles are some of the most popular devices for gaming, as well as for other activities, especially among global gamers aged 25 to 34. The mass appeal of consoles predates the advent of the widespread home computer, as the earliest video console, Magnavox Odyssey, was introduced in the early 1970s in the United States. A more successful console was launched later that decade by Atari Inc., while the 1980s were largely dominated by Nintendo. In the past decade, the console market has been highly volatile and leaders have changed quite often, due to ever improving technologies. Although video game console sales have been decreasing in the past years, the most significant console manufacturers in the industry remain Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. As of 2015, Sony was the market leader based on unit sales. In that time combined PlayStation sales amounted to over 21 million units, compared to 9.5 million and 11.5 million for Microsoft and Nintendo game console sales figures respectively. In terms of console market share, Sony's results accounted for 50 percent of sales made by the industry's three giants.
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- Release date
- February 2019
- Region
- Worldwide
- Survey time period
- 2008 to 2018
- Special properties
- data accessed on February 1, 2019; global hardware by platform
- Supplementary notes
-
Figures have been rounded.
Figures for 2008 to 2015 come from previous VGChartz releases.
Source
- Show sources information
- As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- February 2019
More information
- Region
- Worldwide
- Survey time period
- 2008 to 2018
- Special properties
- data accessed on February 1, 2019; global hardware by platform
- Supplementary notes
-
Figures have been rounded.
Figures for 2008 to 2015 come from previous VGChartz releases.
Other statistics on the topic
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+Consumer Electronics
Lifetime global unit sales of video game consoles as of February 2019
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Global top-selling console games in 2018, by unit sales
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Nintendo's unit sales of video game consoles 1997-2019
+Video Games & Gaming
Global unit sales of Nintendo Switch console 2017-2019
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Statistics on "Game consoles"
- Market overview
The most important statistics
- Digital games industry revenue worldwide in 2018, by game category (in billion U.S. dollars)Global digital games industry revenue 2018, by category
- Computer graphics hardware market value in the game console segment from 2013 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)Game consoles computer graphics hardware market size worldwide 2013-2022
- Global unit sales of current generation video game consoles from 2008 to 2018 (in million units)Global unit sales of video game consoles from 2008 to 2018
- Video game console sales worldwide for products total lifespan as of February 2019 (in million units)Lifetime global unit sales of video game consoles as of February 2019
- Gaming consoles ranked by unit sales in Europe in 2017 (in units sold)Leading gaming consoles in Europe 2017, by unit sales
- Video game console sales in North America for products total lifespan as of February 2019 (in million units)Lifetime North American unit sales of video game consoles as of February 2019
- Digital games industry revenue in North America from 2017 to 2019, by game category (in billion U.S. dollars)Digital games industry revenue in North America 2017-2019, by category
- Unit sales of game consoles in the United States by platform from 2007 to 2018 (in millions)Game consoles unit sales in the U.S. by device/platform 2007-2018
- Platforms
The most important statistics
- Unit sales of Sony's PlayStation consoles worldwide from 2011 to 2019 (in millions), by quarter*Sony unit sales of PlayStation consoles 2011-2019, by quarter
- Cumulative unit sales of Sony PlayStation 4 consoles worldwide from August 2014 to June 2019 (in million units)Global unit sales of Sony PlayStation 4 consoles 2014-2019
- Installed base of Sony and Microsoft game consoles worldwide from 2012 to 2018 (in million units)Installed base of Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox 360/Xbox One consoles 2012-2028
- Xbox 360 and Xbox One gaming consoles unit sales worldwide from 2005 to 2018 (in millions)Xbox 360 and Xbox One annual unit sales worldwide 2005-2018
- Cumulative unit sales of Xbox One consoles worldwide from December 2017 to March 2019 (in million units)Global unit sales of Xbox One consoles 2017-2019
- Unit sales of the Xbox One in Europe from 2013 to 2017Xbox One: unit sales in Europe 2013-2017
- Number of monthly active users (MAU) of Microsoft Xbox Live from fiscal 1st quarter 2016 to 4th quarter 2019 (in millions)Number of Xbox Live MAU Q1 2016 - Q4 2019
- Unit sales of Nintendo's home consoles from 1997 to 2019 (in millions)*Nintendo's unit sales of video game consoles 1997-2019
- Console games
The most important statistics
- All-time best-selling console games based on global unit sales as of February 2019 (in million units)All-time best selling console games worldwide 2019, based on unit sales
- Top-selling console games worldwide in 2018, by unit sales (in millions)Global top-selling console games in 2018, by unit sales
- Premium console games revenue worldwide from 2017 to 2019, by region (in billion U.S. dollars)Premium console games revenue worldwide in 2019, by region
- Leading premium PC and console video games worldwide in 2018, by revenue (in million U.S. dollars)Leading premium PC and console games worldwide 2018
- Console games ranked by unit sales in Europe in 2018 (in units sold)Best selling console games in Europe 2018, by unit sales
- All time best-selling PlayStation 4 video game titles worldwide as of November 2018, by unit sales (in millions)All time best-selling PS4 video games worldwide as of 2018, by unit sales
- All time best-selling PlayStation 3 video game titles worldwide as of November 2018, by unit sales (in millions)All time best-selling PS3 video games worldwide as of 2018, by unit sales
- Top selling Nintendo Switch game titles worldwide as of June 2019 (in million units)Top selling Nintendo Switch games worldwide in 2019
- Surveys
The most important statistics
- Share of internet users who personally own a gaming console worldwide from 2014 to 2018Gaming console ownership among internet users worldwide 2014-2018
- Share of internet users who expressed interest in purchasing selected video game consoles worldwide in 1st quarter 2018Game console brand purchase consideration worldwide Q1 2018
- Percentage of teenagers in the United States who have access to a game console as of April 2018, by genderShare of U.S. teenagers with a game console 2018, by gender
- Penetration of playing physical video games in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain in 1st quarter 2018Physical video game playing penetration in European countries Q1 2018
- Console and computer gaming penetration in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2017*Console and computer gaming in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2017
- Which, if any, of these do you use your games console for?Different uses for gaming consoles in the UK households in 2014-2018, by category
- Ranking of the most popular games consoles among teenagers aged 14 to 25 years in Germany in 2018, by rate of ownershipMost popular games consoles among teenagers in Germany 2018
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Further Content: Statistics, Studies, and Topic Pages
Statistics
- Global console unit sales from 2012 to 2016, by type
- Global unit sales of Nintendo Wii consoles 2013-2015
- PlayStation 3 penetration of TV households in Europe 2008-2013
- Number of PS3 console households in France 2008-2013
- Monthly revenue of the U.S. video game industry 2017-2019, by segment
- Installed base of Nintendo game consoles (Wii/Wii U) 2012-2018
- Global unit sales of Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles 2013-2017
- Number of PS3 console households in Germany 2008-2013
- Average price of games consoles and video games in Germany 2005-2018
- Distribution of videogames played in Denmark 2017-2018
- Distribution of videogames played in Italy 2017-2018
- Distribution of videogames played in Poland 2016-2018
- Sales of physical video games sold in France 2008-2014, by medium
- Distribution of video games played in Belgium 2017-2018
- Distribution of videogames played in Ireland 2017-2018
- Sales volume of PlayStation 3 consoles in Germany 2007-2017
- Video game console penetration in households South Korea 2013-2017
- Most anticipated Xbox 360 video game titles in 2015
- Value of the video game market in France 2014-2018
- Adoption of connected entertainment devices in Denmark 2017
Studies
- Game consoles
- Video games in Germany
- Sony PlayStation
- Gaming consoles in the United Kingdom (UK)
- Video Games in the 21st Century
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2019
- Video Games in the 21st Century
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2018
- Teens, Video Games, and Civics
- US Gaming
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2015
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2014
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2016
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2017
- Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2013
Statistics on "Game consoles"
- Digital games industry revenue worldwide in 2018, by game category (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Computer graphics hardware market value in the game console segment from 2013 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Global unit sales of current generation video game consoles from 2008 to 2018 (in million units)
- Video game console sales worldwide for products total lifespan as of February 2019 (in million units)
- Gaming consoles ranked by unit sales in Europe in 2017 (in units sold)
- Video game console sales in North America for products total lifespan as of February 2019 (in million units)
- Digital games industry revenue in North America from 2017 to 2019, by game category (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Unit sales of game consoles in the United States by platform from 2007 to 2018 (in millions)
- Unit sales of the leading gaming consoles in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2018 (in units)
- Leading game console brands sold in Japan in 2018, by unit sales (in 1,000 units)
- Unit sales of Sony's PlayStation consoles worldwide from 2011 to 2019 (in millions), by quarter*
- Cumulative unit sales of Sony PlayStation 4 consoles worldwide from August 2014 to June 2019 (in million units)
- Installed base of Sony and Microsoft game consoles worldwide from 2012 to 2018 (in million units)
- Xbox 360 and Xbox One gaming consoles unit sales worldwide from 2005 to 2018 (in millions)
- Cumulative unit sales of Xbox One consoles worldwide from December 2017 to March 2019 (in million units)
- Unit sales of the Xbox One in Europe from 2013 to 2017
- Number of monthly active users (MAU) of Microsoft Xbox Live from fiscal 1st quarter 2016 to 4th quarter 2019 (in millions)
- Unit sales of Nintendo's home consoles from 1997 to 2019 (in millions)*
- Cumulative unit sales of the Nintendo Switch console worldwide from March 2017 to June 2019 (in millions)
- All-time best-selling console games based on global unit sales as of February 2019 (in million units)
- Top-selling console games worldwide in 2018, by unit sales (in millions)
- Premium console games revenue worldwide from 2017 to 2019, by region (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Leading premium PC and console video games worldwide in 2018, by revenue (in million U.S. dollars)
- Console games ranked by unit sales in Europe in 2018 (in units sold)
- All time best-selling PlayStation 4 video game titles worldwide as of November 2018, by unit sales (in millions)
- All time best-selling PlayStation 3 video game titles worldwide as of November 2018, by unit sales (in millions)
- Top selling Nintendo Switch game titles worldwide as of June 2019 (in million units)
- Top selling Nintendo Wii game titles worldwide as of March 2019 (in million units)
- Top selling Nintendo 3DS game titles worldwide as of June 2019 (in million units)
- Top selling Nintendo DS game titles worldwide as of March 2019 (in million units)
- Share of internet users who personally own a gaming console worldwide from 2014 to 2018
- Share of internet users who expressed interest in purchasing selected video game consoles worldwide in 1st quarter 2018
- Percentage of teenagers in the United States who have access to a game console as of April 2018, by gender
- Penetration of playing physical video games in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain in 1st quarter 2018
- Console and computer gaming penetration in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2017*
- Which, if any, of these do you use your games console for?
- Ranking of the most popular games consoles among teenagers aged 14 to 25 years in Germany in 2018, by rate of ownership
- Global console unit sales from 2012 to 2016, by type (in millions)
- Unit sales of Nintendo Wii consoles worldwide from 2013 to 2015 (in 1,000s)
- PlayStation 3 (PS3) gaming console penetration of TV households in Europe from 2008 to 2013
- Number of Playstation 3 console households in France from 2008 to 2013 (in million households)
- Total and segment revenue of the U.S. video game industry from January 2017 to March 2019 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Estimated installed base of Nintendo game consoles worldwide from 2012 to 2018 (in million units)
- Sales volumes of Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles worldwide from 2013 to 2017 (in million units)
- Number of Playstation 3 console households in Germany from 2008 to 2013 (in million households)
- Average price of games consoles and video games in Germany from 2005 to 2018 (in euros)
- What kind(s) of video/computer games do you play?
- What kind(s) of video/computer games do you play?
- What kind(s) of video/computer games do you play?
- Distribution of sales of physical video games in France from 2008 to 2014, by medium
- What kind(s) of video/computer games do you play?
- What kind(s) of video/computer games do you play?
- Sales volume of PS3 (PlayStation 3) consoles in Germany from 2007 to 2017
- Share of households with video game consoles in South Korea from 2013 to 2017
- Most anticipated video game titles for Xbox 360 in 2015
- Value of the video game market in France from 2014 to 2018 * (in million euros)
- Which of the following connected entertainment devices do you own or have ready access to?
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