 |
| PS5 with the DualSense controller. |
Sony’s latest financial update paints a picture of a gaming giant entering a pivotal phase. The company’s earnings for the critical holiday quarter, ending December 31, 2025, reveal a PlayStation 5 console inching ever closer to an elite industry milestone, even as its sales pace shows expected signs of moderation.
Hardware Slows, But the Finish Line is in Sight
During the three-month period encompassing the 2025 holiday season, Sony shipped 8 million PlayStation 5 units to retailers worldwide. This figure represents a dip of 1.5 million units compared to the same blockbuster quarter the previous year, a softening that analysts anticipated as the console enters its later lifecycle stages.
However, that consistent shipment volume was more than enough to drive the PS5’s lifetime total to a staggering 92.2 million units as of the end of 2025. The console is now firmly on track to surpass the 100-million-units-shipped mark in the coming months, a rare achievement shared only by a handful of platforms like the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s Wii. You can dive into the full details of the report directly from Sony’s investor relations site: Sony Quarterly Supplement for Q3 FY2025.
Software and Digital Sales Show Robust Health
While hardware growth may be cooling, the ecosystem surrounding the PlayStation platforms is thriving. Combined software sales for both the PS5 and the legacy PS4 reached 97.2 million units during the quarter, a year-over-year increase of 1.3 million units. Notably, sales of Sony’s own first-party games—titles like *Marvel’s Spider-Man 2*, God of War Ragnarök, and newer releases—saw a significant boost. First-party sales hit 13.2 million units, up 1.6 million from the prior year.
The shift toward a digital-first marketplace also continued unabated. Sony reported that a full 76% of all software sales in the quarter were full-game digital downloads, a 2% increase from last year. This trend underscores changing consumer habits and the growing importance of the PlayStation Store’s direct-to-consumer revenue.
A Growing PlayStation Network
Beyond boxed units and game sales, the strength of the PlayStation brand is perhaps best measured by its active community. Sony announced that monthly active users (MAUs) on the PlayStation Network climbed to 132 million as of December 31, 2025. This is an increase of 3 million engaged users compared to the same time last fiscal year, indicating healthy platform stickiness and online engagement, even among users who may not be purchasing new hardware.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The narrative from Sony’s latest report is one of transition. The PlayStation 5 is transitioning from a high-demand, supply-constrained product to a mature platform chasing historic benchmarks. Simultaneously, Sony’s business is increasingly fueled by high-margin digital software sales and a massive, engaged network of users. As the industry looks ahead to potential new hardware announcements, the PS5 is demonstrating that its most profitable chapters may still be ahead, powered not just by consoles sold, but by games downloaded and services engaged with by a community of over 130 million players.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment Quarterly Financial Supplement for Q3 FY2025.
 |
| Sales breakdown. |