Sony: PS4 Remains Key Player Nearly Four Years After PS5 Launch

Even now, many games are released for older consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One alongside their main console versions, making one wonder how many players still use these consoles today. According to a VGC report, a recent Sony business meeting shed light on this.

From the slides, it is evident that PS5 sales have been steadily increasing, from 7 million in FY20 to 56 million in FY23. In terms of monthly active console numbers, both the PS4 and PS5 are equal, with 49 million each. In total playtime, the PS4 platform has 1.4 billion hours, while the PS5 boasts 2.4 billion.

Sony Interactive Entertainment’s new CEO, Hideaki Nishino, stated: “As you can see, the PlayStation 5 userbase has continued to grow significantly, driving to half of our monthly active consoles. While the PlayStation 4 is still an important part of our business, our PlayStation 5 players are even more engaged than in our previous generation, and we expect these trends to continue.”

Moreover, the slides revealed some intriguing data, such as the PS5 being Sony’s most profitable console to date. Since its release, the PS5 platform has generated $106 billion in sales and $10 billion in revenue, surpassing the entire lifecycle data of the PS4 platform.

Additionally, on the PS5, player spending on game services and add-on content has increased significantly, with growth rates of 57% and 176%, respectively, while spending on the base game has decreased by 12%. This indicates that DLCs, in-game purchases, and passes have become crucial revenue sources for the PS5, which explains PlayStation’s recent emphasis on GAAS.