When the PS5 first launched in 2020, it had a lot of obstacles to overcome. The covid-19 pandemic obviously had a massive effect on just about everything, and Sony's early generation plans were clearly scuppered amidst the chaos. Component shortages meant that the PS5 was initially stuck in production limbo, and the limited product was further impacted by worldwide shipping issues. All of this resulted in some pretty severe stock setbacks, where, for a good 18 months or so of the PS5's life, actually finding and buying a current-gen console was shockingly difficult.
But even after all of those problems contributed to one of the most troubled PlayStation launches ever, PS5 sales have absolutely exploded in recent times. The system has really been pulling away in Europe — a region where PlayStation has always ruled the roost — and now in the US, it's showing some sure signs of market dominance.
In a new Games Industry report — backed by Circana (previously NPD) — it's revealed that the PS5 is currently trending 5% ahead of the PS4, when compared to this same point in its own life cycle. That may seem like a somewhat insignificant figure, but you need to remember that the PS4 was a record-breaking sales machine. For the PS5 to be punching above its predecessor — after being saddled with all of its aforementioned issues — Sony must be delighted.