PS5 vs PS3 Sales Comparison - April 2021 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 June 2021 / 4,576 Views
The VGChartz sales comparison series of articles are updated monthly and each one focuses on a different sales comparison using our estimated video game hardware figures. The charts include comparisons between the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, as well as with older platforms. There are articles based on our worldwide estimates, as well as the US, Europe, and Japan.
This monthly series compares the aligned worldwide sales of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 3.
The PlayStation 5 launched in November 2020, while the PlayStation 3 launched in November 2006 in North America and Japan and in March 2007 in Europe. This does mean the holiday periods for the two consoles do lineup.
PS5 Vs. PS3 Worldwide:
Gap change in latest month: 610,061 - PS5
Total Lead: 4,805,904 - PS5
PlayStation 5 Total Sales: 8,039,717
PlayStation 3 Total Sales: 3,233,813
April 2021 is the sixth month the PlayStation 5 has been available for. In the latest month, the gap grew in favor of the PlayStation 5 when compared to the aligned launch of the PlayStation 3 by 610,061 units. The PlayStation 5 is currently ahead by 4.81 million units.
The PlayStation 5 has sold 8.04 million units in six months, while the PlayStation 3 sold 3.23 million units. Month 6 for the PlayStation 5 is April 2021 and for the PlayStation 4 is April 2007.
The PlayStation 3 did not reach current PlayStation 5 sales until month 14 where it had sold 9.17 million units.
The PlayStation 3 crossed 10 million units sold in month 15, 20 million in month 27, and 30 million in month 38. The PlayStation 3 sold 87.4 million units lifetime.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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I don't see the PS5 ever falling behind in this comparison, and while its lead could shrink towards the end it should be well past the PS3 total by then.
I agree, the PS3 lost too much momentum early on that couldn't be recovered by the end anymore. I expect the final tally to be somewhere between PS3 and PS4 in the end, so similar to the Wii in total sales.
Speaking of which, how about a PS5 vs Wii comparison?
I don't think it will have trouble beating it in the long run, but PS5 vs Wii could be interesting for the first many years.
Typo, the PS3 launched in November 2006, not 2007 in North America and Japan.
PS4 had a very slow start due to it's huge price tag, but later models reversed the trend.
While I don't see the PS3 compete on sales with the PS5 during the first 4 years, I do think it could start clawing back a bit of the lead of the pS5 starting year 5 since I expect the PS5 to be more frontloaded than previous Playstation consoles.
