Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that the PlayStation 5 console has surpassed 50 million units sold, as of December 9, 2023, and almost exactly three years after its launch in November 2020.
The new console has been praised for its near-instant load times with solid state drive, advanced DualSense controller with haptic feedback, and 4K resolution support up to 120 frames per second. It also features backwards compatibility with the most PlayStation 4 games.
However, due to a global shortage of chips and semiconductors, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for the PlayStation 5 far exceeded the supply. The console remained a rare and elusive purchase for those not wanting to pay highly inflated scalper prices for at least the first year of its lifespan.
In fact, outgoing SIE president Jim Ryan stated that this holiday season was the first since launch where supply was able to meet demand:
“Achieving this PS5 sales milestone is a testament to the unwavering support of the global PlayStation community and their passion for the incredible experiences created by the talented developers from PlayStation Studios and our partners,” said Ryan. “We’re grateful for all of our players who have joined the PS5 journey so far, and we’re thrilled that this is the first holiday season since launch that we have a full supply of PS5 consoles – so anyone who wants to get one can get one.”
This past year’s big first party releases and exclusives for Sony include Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 16, Gran Turismo 7, and Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition. PlayStation also finally welcomed Roblox onto its platform.
