Sony's PlayStation 5 Emerges as Company's Most Profitable Console: Learn Why

Sony PlayStation 5 is officially the company’s most profitable console generation to date. The announcement was made during Sony Group’s Business Segment Meeting 2024. During the meeting, the two newly appointed CEOs of PlayStation, Hideki Nishino and Herman Hulst, shared a presentation, which revealed that the PS5 generated $106 million between 2020-2023. With an operating profit of $10 billion, the PS5 has become the most successful PlayStation console of all time in just three years. For comparison, between 2013 and 2019, the PS4 firm reported $107 billion in sales with an operating profit of $9 billion, according to Automaton.

These records indicate that the PS5 generated better momentum than the company’s previously launched console versions. According to a report from Automaton, around 7 million PS5 consoles were sold in fiscal year 2020, with unit sales increasing year-over-year with a staggering 56 million PS5 units sold in fiscal year 2023 alone. The report also indicated that the number of active consoles is also increasing each month, and that both the PS5 and PS4 have roughly the same number of active consoles (approximately 49 million each). Earlier, several reports also suggested that Sony is planning to launch a “refreshed” version of their PS5 console, called the PS5 Pro, later this year.

Also, another report suggests that the next iteration of the GTA series, Grand Theft Auto VI will only come to the PS5, X-Box Series X/S and the expected PS5 Pro version next year. So from a marketing point of view, it makes sense that sales for the PS5 will slowly increase next year as well, as gaming enthusiasts around the world look forward to GTA VI. According to the report, around 50 percent of PS console users are still using the PS4 version which lacks the necessary hardware to run GTA VI. This indicates that users will need to upgrade their console to PS5 or they will not be able to play the game. In India, PS5 gaming console prices are available in two versions i.e. disc and digital edition. The PlayStation 5 Disc Edition is priced at Rs 54,990, while the Digital Edition is priced at Rs 44,990.