Sony sells fewer PS5 consoles, but game and network revenue keeps growing

The gaming division of Japanese technology and entertainment group Sony sold 2.6 million PlayStation 5 (PS5) consoles in the second quarter of 2026, down from 4 million in the same period a year earlier. Even so, the division's revenue rose nine percent year over year and profit climbed 83 percent. The drop in console sales was most likely caused by supply problems: tariffs and a memory chip shortage that Engadget calls "RAMaggedon" have made consoles expensive and hard to find.

Games and services grow

Game sales were up 9.8 million units compared with the same quarter last year, covering both Sony's own titles and third-party games. Digital downloads made up 78 percent of full-game software sales, compared with 72 percent a year before. Sony's software sales reached 708.5 billion yen ($4.48 billion), against 629.3 billion yen ($3.98 billion) in the same period of 2025. Network services revenue grew 19.5 percent to 218.3 billion yen ($1.38 billion).

Among individual titles, Marvel's Wolverine had sold 2.4 million copies as of November 4, roughly 50 days after release. By comparison, Ghost of Yotei, which launched on October 2, 2025, has sold 3.3 million units according to Sony's most recent figures.

Risks ahead

Since the console's launch in June 2020, 97.9 million PS5 units have been sold, and Sony will almost certainly pass 100 million during the holiday quarter. However, Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, with pre-orders reportedly already at $750 million. It remains unclear whether Sony can meet the console demand that is likely to follow. The PS5 Pro continues to be in high demand, and some retailers are using lottery systems to sidestep scalpers. Sony previously said it had secured enough memory to meet demand, but it has reportedly told distribution partners that "temporary market supply constraints and high demand" will keep retailers' console stock limited until next year.