PS5 Sales US
Image: Push Square

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.

Just for some additional context, the PS5 is trending a whopping 87% ahead of the PS3, which, of course, was a truly troubled console during its first couple of years on the market. Elsewhere in the industry, the Xbox Series X|S is actually down 10% on the Xbox One, but it's ahead of the Xbox 360 by 6%. Microsoft was, of course, hit with its own stock issues due to the pandemic, but the PS5 competitor is seemingly nowhere near Sony's system in terms of commercial momentum.

Given that the US has always been a major battleground between console manufacturers, the PS5's ongoing, seemingly intensifying success is impressive. Do you think it'll be able to maintain this upwards trajectory? Crunch some numbers in the comments section below.

[source gamesindustry.biz]