The PS5 passes 100 million consoles shipped as of November 10, nine days before Grand Theft Auto VI arrives. PlayStation’s business data page now lists PlayStation 5 at “more than 100 million” units. That makes it the fourth PlayStation home console to clear the mark, after the original PlayStation, PS2 and PS4.
2.1 Million in About Six Weeks
PlayStation counts sell-in, meaning consoles shipped to stores, not consoles sold to players. By that count the PS5 stood at about 97.9 million on September 30, which we covered in PlayStation’s second-quarter results. Getting past 100 million by November 10 means PlayStation shipped at least 2.1 million more in about six weeks.
That’s a fast clip for the sixth year of a console. PlayStation shipped 4.2 million PS5s across the whole April to September half. Stores are stocking up for the holidays, and GTA VI’s November 19 launch is the obvious draw. PlayStation says GTA VI is already the most pre-ordered game in PlayStation Store history, and PS5 Pro owners get PSSR upscaling and ray-traced shadows. We already covered the GTA VI pre-load sizes on PS5 and Xbox.
Six Years to 100 Million, PS4 Took About Five and a Half
The PS5 launched November 12, 2020 in North America, so it hit 100 million two days short of its sixth birthday. PlayStation’s own quarterly table shows the PS4 at 96.9 million shipped on March 31, 2019 and past 100 million by the end of June 2019, about five years and seven months after its November 2013 launch. The PS5 got there about five months slower.
Shortages explain a lot of that. The PS5 spent its first two years in short supply, and its price has gone up during this generation instead of down. PlayStation’s best PS5 fiscal year was April 2023 to March 2024, with 20.8 million shipped.
The Original PlayStation Is Next at 102.4 Million
Here’s how PlayStation’s lifetime sell-in totals line up now:
| Console | Shipped | As of |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 2 | More than 160 million | March 31, 2012 |
| PlayStation 4 | More than 117 million | June 30, 2022 |
| PlayStation | More than 102.4 million | March 31, 2012 |
| PlayStation 5 | More than 100 million | November 10, 2026 |
| PlayStation 3 | More than 87.4 million | March 31, 2017 |
The original PlayStation is the next one to pass, and that gap is only about 2.4 million consoles. The PS4’s 117 million is a much bigger reach, at roughly 17 million more. The PS2’s 160 million looks out of reach for this generation.
PlayStation also lists 127 million monthly active PlayStation users as of September 30, and more than 1.795 billion PS4 and PS5 games shipped combined.
With GTA VI landing November 19, the holiday quarter could be the PS5’s biggest in a couple of years. PlayStation’s next earnings report will show whether the original PlayStation is already behind it.