During its recent quarterly financial briefing on August 7, Sony announced that the PlayStation 5 console family has achieved a remarkable sales milestone, surpassing 80 million units worldwide as it approaches its fifth year in the market. This impressive figure represents half of the legendary PlayStation 2's lifetime sales record.

The financial report revealed interesting trends in Sony's gaming business. While PS5 and PS4 game sales showed a modest year-over-year increase, the data also highlighted a continuing decline in physical game sales across the industry.

Launched in November 2020 during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, the PS5 initially faced significant supply constraints. The console became a prime target for scalpers, with both the digital ($399) and disc-based ($499) models frequently selling for inflated prices on secondary markets. Over time, Sony stabilized production and expanded the lineup with the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro models, while regular system updates have kept the platform competitive and feature-rich.

As the PS5 nears its fifth anniversary, Sony confirmed this significant sales achievement. According to The Verge, the PS5 has reached 80.3 million units sold globally, putting it within striking distance of surpassing the PS3's lifetime sales of 87.4 million units. These figures come from Sony's Q1 FY25 financial report, published on August 7.

The report shows modest growth in hardware sales, increasing from 2.4 million units in Q1 2024 to 2.5 million in Q1 2025. While impressive, the PS5's sales represent just half of the PS2's record-breaking 160 million units sold as noted by former PlayStation executive Jim Ryan. All figures are current as of June 30, 2025, with subsequent sales not included in this report.

Game sales on PlayStation platforms showed positive growth, with 65.9 million units sold in Q1 2025 compared to 53.6 million during the same period in 2024. However, the shift toward digital distribution continues unabated, with digital purchases accounting for 83% (57.6 million) of total game sales. This reflects the broader industry-wide decline in physical game sales.

The breakdown between different PS5 models (standard, Digital Edition, Slim, and Pro) remains undisclosed. Interestingly, some previously exclusive PS5 titles like Helldivers 2 are expanding to other platforms, while major first-party games continue their gradual migration to PC, broadening access to PlayStation's game library.

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