15+ PlayStation Statistics: Find Out What the Future of PlayStation Holds in 2023

Barry Elad

Updated · Sep 15, 2023

15+ PlayStation Statistics: Find Out What the Future of PlayStation Holds in 2023

PlayStation Statistics:  PlayStation at its core: Shadow of the Colossus, Crash Bandicoot, God of War, Wipeout Pure, etc.

Many of us played these games as children, and we still occasionally do—or perhaps a little more frequently, but that is beside the point.

We have collected some PlayStation statistics that are sure to spark interest, little nostalgia, and some surprise.

Please continue reading to learn more about the market share, subscriber count, company revenue, and all the essential factors that have shaped PlayStation's past and present success.

Amazing PlayStation Statistics and Facts (Editor's choice)

  • PlayStation statistics show that over 1 million people have pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 worldwide.
  • PlayStation's first console was released in 1994.
  • In a single day, the PS5 sold over 1.3 million units.
  • More than 40% of PlayStation users are female.
  • The PlayStation 4 is the most popular console in this generation, with more than 100 units sold.
  • Around 3.2 million people subscribe to PlayStation Now.
  • The revenue of Video Game consoles will rise worldwide.
  • Sony's PlayStation holds 90% of the market for the home console.
  • Sony distributed 4.5 million PlayStation 5 units worldwide in 2020.
  • PSN has 104 million users around the world.
  • Sony's PS Plus subscription service is used by over 47 million gamers.
  • As of June 2023, there are more than 108 million PlayStation active users spread across the world.
  • In Q1 of 2023, the Global game console shipment market increased by 32% on a year-on-year basis reaching 10.3 million units.
  • As of 2023, in the United States of America, players who played video games using consoles were mostly aged between 20 to 29 years.
  • Further PlayStation Statistics state that, 30% of the players in the United States of America play video games for around 1 to 5 hours every week.

PlayStation History: Reviewing the Significant Events

Since its inception, Sony's PlayStation has dominated the market. With each year, the excitement and desire for the most recent console appear to grow.

Let's start with the basics and quickly review some incredible PlayStation statistics.

#1. PlayStation statistics show that over 1 million people have pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 worldwide.

On 15th November 2013, the PlayStation 4 was released. The company had already sold 1 million units by 16th November. In addition, by 1st December, that number had increased by more than twofold, reaching 2.1 million in just a couple of weeks.

Are the PS4's initial sales impressive, in your opinion?
They are not the only ones, though.
(Source: First Post)

#2. More than 100 million units of Sony's first PlayStation were sold.

PlayStation, the first console that shipped more than 100 million units, made history in 2005.
The video game console was introduced in 1994 and remained used for 12 years. PS1 statistics show that Sony sold a total of 104.25 million units making it the fourth most popular console in the market.

The N64, the PS1's main rival, sold just over 30 million units when Nintendo decided to stop making it.
(Source: Guinness World Records)

#3. PlayStation's first console was released in 1994.

In Japan, the first PlayStation console was launched in December 1994. It then went on to be introduced internationally in the following year.

Since then, Sony has been a pioneer in the industry, releasing a new console about every 6 years and making gaming subscription services (like PS Plus and PS Now) accessible to its global audience.
(Source: Britannica)

#4. In a single day, the PS5 sold over 1.3 million units.

It would be an understatement to say that people anticipated the PS5 with bated breath.
According to statistics for the PlayStation 5, on 12th November 2020- the day the console was released in Canada, Australia, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico- people purchased between 1.3 and 1.6 million units.

On 19th November, a week later, the console was made available to the rest of the world. Over 660,000 consoles were purchased on that day in Europe. According to PS5 statistics, hundreds of thousands of more units were likely sold in the other continents.

This indicates that the PS5's initial global sales were at least 2.1 million units.
(Source: GamesRadar)

#5. The revenue of Video Game consoles will rise worldwide.

Following 2021's record of 107,490 million USD in revenue, the video games console market is anticipated to generate 100,400 million USD in 2022. This number exceeded $100 million for the first time in 2021, and this upward trend is expected to continue.

According to projections, this number might reach 130,843 million USD in 2026.
(Source: Statista)

#6. In 2022, Sony acquired Bungie.

Bungie, the company behind Halo and Destiny, was bought by Sony in January 2022. In addition, Sony intends to keep Bungie as a subsidiary and not as a PlayStation Studio. Also, Sony Company wants to produce several games soon using Bungie's shown proficiency in live service games. This alliance cost Sony 3.6 billion dollars and will probably result in significant profits.
(Source: SIE)

#7. The PlayStation 2 is the most sold console so far.

According to statistics on PlayStation sales, 87.4 million PS3s, 155 million PS2s, and 102.4 million PS1s were purchased during the consoles' lifespan. This indicates that the PlayStation 2 is by far Sony's best-selling console as of right now.

Moreover, the PS2 has been the most popular console in the market.

Nintendo has followed closely behind Sony in the video game market over the years, with the Game Boy, the DS, and Wii selling more than 100 million units. The Nintendo DS was close to taking the title of PS2's console- with 154 million units sold; it was just one million units too short for success.
(Source: Hackernoon)

#8. More than 100 million PlayStation 4 units have been sold around the globe by Sony.

Though the console shares the spotlight with its successor, the PS5, since the end of 2020, the PS4 still holds its own. The PlayStation sales statistics show that Sony sold 7.8 million PS5s and 2.4 million PS4s in the second half of 2020.

However, by mid-2021, the PS4 had sold over 116 million units, while the PS5 had sold 8.6 million. This means that Sony's most recent console has brought in over $3.8 billion in revenue.
(Source: GamesRadar)

PlayStation Market Share: Maintaining the Top Position

All things considered, PlayStation and Sony have had fantastic years in 2020 and 2021. In addition to the PS5's incredible sales figures, PlayStation Plus dominates the market.

Let's quickly review some incredible PlayStation stats that demonstrate the brand's supremacy in the gaming industry.

#9. In 2022, PlayStation will hold more than 90% of India's market share.

Sony is not a dominant player in the United Kingdom and the United States markets. According to PlayStation stats, the Sony Company is more robust in India, given the enormous demand for PS5. As a result, we wouldn't be shocked if the number increases in the future.

Microsoft's Xbox currently holds 8.83% of the Indian market, while Nintendo only gets 0.02%.
(Source: Statcounter)

#10. Female gamers account for more than 40% of PlayStation gamers.

When we break out PlayStation users by gender, we can observe that Sony's female customer base has dramatically increased over time. Back in the day, the PS1 had only 18% of its owners were girls and women; however, this number has more than tripled for the PS5 and PS4, hitting 41%.

The rise in popularity is partly explained by solid female characters introduced to various games such as The Lost Legacy: Horizon Zero Dawn & Uncharted.
(Source: Push Square)

#11. 84% of countries prefer to use the PS5 over Xbox Series X.

Suppose you look at the number of PlayStation users per country. In that case, it is clear that the gaming giant has a lot of popularity in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and most of Europe is the country with the highest PlayStation popularity.

A recent study found that 98.94% of Japanese gamers prefer a PS5 over an Xbox Series X, whereas only 57% of video-game lovers in the UK and US would choose a PS5.
(Source: Finder)

#12. Sony currently holds 46% of the console market.

Apart from Sony, Nintendo (31%) and Microsoft (23%) are the most prominent players in the console market, valued at $53.9 billion in 2020.
(Source: Games Industry)

#13. In 2020, PlayStation earned more than $25.04 billion in revenue.

Sony sold more than $25 billion of PlayStations in 2020, shattering its previous record of $20.8 billion in 2018. This is the highest profit for the company in the history of the sector, and the company earned around $3.23 billion in profits.

The largest business division at Sony, which generates approximately 30% of the company's annual income, is Network Services and Games. Financial Services ($15.73 billion) and Electronics ($18.1 billion) are two additional significant business divisions for the tech behemoth.
(Source: Game Informer)

Most Popular PlayStation 5 games by MAU worldwide

(Source: statista.com)

According to PlayStation Statistics 2023, Fortnite, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, and Grand Theft Auto V are the top-most-ranked PlayStation 5 games by monthly active users in May 2023.

PlayStation Statistics by most downloaded games on PlayStation 5 by region

(Source: statista.com)

As of June 2023, in the United States of America as well as Canada, Diablo IV was the most downloaded game on PS5, followed by FINAL FANTASY XVI and Street Fighter 6. The PS5 game that almost made it to the top 10 list was Marve’s Spider-Man.

Beyond the Consoles: PlayStation Facts

Although typically associated with youth, the video game industry has developed recently to cater to various consumers, newer technologies, and popular business models.

Let's look at some more PlayStation statistics, so you can see how successful other gaming ventures of Sony were.

#14. Grand Theft Auto V has been the most-sold game on PS4.

Even though the game was available before the PS4 launched, its remastered edition was so popular – according to PlayStation game statistics, cumulative sales of the game had exceeded 20 million copies- that it will also be available on the PS5.

Other well-liked PS4 games include Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, each game has sold over 15 million copies.
(Source: The Gamer)

#15. Even though not because of Sony, PlayStation Home has come back to life.

In case you forgot, PlayStation Home was a 3D game platform that allowed PS3 users to communicate online. Although the application was shut down in 2015, just 7 years after its launch, PlayStation Home stats indicate that the platform had attained more than 40 million users by the time it ended its (original) life.

Some of those players were so enamored with it that they founded a club called Destination Home and started a preservation project. So far, they have brought back the Bowling Alley, the Playground, and the Hub by donating their Home data from their PS3s.
(Source: Video Games Chronicle)

#16. More than 100 million people utilize the PlayStation Network each month.

For a while, the PSN's user base has been steadily increasing, hitting an all-time high in 2020 with around 114 million players. The figures appear to have leveled off since then, with only a little more than 104 million PSN active users reported in 2021's quarterly reports.

However, the conflict between Xbox Live and PlayStation Network continues.

Xbox Live subscribers continued to grow year over year until 2019 when it surpassed 65 million members. Then COVID-19 arrived, leading to a sharp rise in Xbox Live players, reaching 100 million users by the end of 2020.
As you can see, the game is getting more complicated.
(Source: Statista)

#17. 3.2 million people subscribe to PlayStation Now.

Sony's cloud gaming platform is called PS Now (like the video game Netflix).

The company had 1 million paid subscribers in 2019. However, the prices were cut, and the offer was improved – the company also added some modern blockbusters to the PS Now libraries, such as God of War and Grand Theft Auto V – the subscriber count more than doubled within one year.

The number increased once more and surpassed the 3 million milestone by 2021.
(Source: The Verge)

#18. There are more than 47 million PlayStation Plus subscribers.

According to PlayStation Plus statistics, there were 47.6 million subscribers in March 2021, which is an all-time high. This is quite surprising considering the decrease in subscription value in recent years.

PS Plus members were entitled to $1,508.74 in free video games in 2018. However, this figure dropped to $900 in 2019 and fell to $789.72 by 2020.
(Source: Statista)

PlayStation Statistics by PS Store Brand Awareness in 2022

(Source: statista.com)

As of 2022, users in the United States of America showed 69% Store awareness, whereas popularity and usage stood at 13% and 11% respectively. The PlayStation Store loyalty was recorded at 8% while the buzz was 10%.

PlayStation Statistics by reasons to subscribe to PS plus

(Source: marketsplash.com)

The primary reason to subscribe to PlayStation Plus is the possibility to play online games as multiplayer as stated by 40% of the users, while 30% of players stated they get to play free games every month. Only 12% cared about their game progression Settings in Cloud Storage.

Conclusion

PlayStation is a gaming console powerhouse in the gaming industry and is expected to continue its growth in the coming years. With exciting new releases planned for the future, there's no doubt that PlayStation will remain a favorite choice for gamers around the world.

The PlayStation mentioned above statistics show that Sony's future is bright and secure. However, Microsoft and Nintendo will keep things exciting by pushing themselves and each other towards greater levels, one video game at a time. Additionally, the PlayStation brand is behind most of the top-selling consoles worldwide and has attracted a loyal fan base that is still active.

  • Statistics
  • FAQ.

    Where is the PlayStation3 most popular?

    Despite being released in 2006, the PS3 is still incredibly popular. Users continue to hold on to their models, and it continues to sell well in the Asian and African markets. The PS3 still has a loyal following, despite the PS4 and PS2 appearing far more popular.

    Is there a Rare PlayStations exist?

    While the PlayStation consoles have a wide variety of collectors and special editions, some are more difficult to locate than others. One of the rarest PS3 Slim models sold for $5000 each is the 24kt gold-plated model.

    The PS4 Rose Gold and PS1 10 Million Edition are two other uncommon findings.

    Which console brand is the most desired?

    Sony's PlayStation is the most popular gaming console all over the world, dominating in 112 different nations. Notably, the PS4 is the most sought-after gaming console in 71 countries.

    What is a game console?

    A game console is an electronic device that enables the movements of characters on the screen in terms of virtual or video games. It can be connected to the the TV.

    How to connect PS5 to console to TV?

    Insert one end of the HDMI Cable into the HDMI Out port of the rear of the PS5. Then insert the other end of the cable into the HDMI input on the display device. Insert the power cable into the AC IN connector of the rear of PS5.

    Which is the latest version of Playstation available to purchase?

    As of today, PS5 is the latest version available to purchase,, The console has an ultra-high-speed SSD, and supports haptic feedback as well as 3D Audio.

    Barry Elad
    Barry Elad

    Barry is a lover of everything technology. Figuring out how the software works and creating content to shed more light on the value it offers users is his favorite pastime. When not evaluating apps or programs, he's busy trying out new healthy recipes, doing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his little one.

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