Switch Best-Selling Console, PS5 and XS Sales Drop - Americas Hardware Estimates for May 2023 - Sales

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The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in the Americas (USA, Canada, & Latin America) with 535,009 units sold for May 2023, according to VGChartz estimates. The Nintendo Switch has now sold an estimated 48.79 million units lifetime in the Americas.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom released on May 12, while the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition released at the end of April.

The PlayStation 5 sold an estimated 319,321 units to bring its lifetime sales to 16.80 million units. The Xbox Series X|S sold 171,904 units to bring their lifetime sales to 12.85 million units. The PlayStation 4 sold an estimated 2,508 units to bring its lifetime sales to 41.57 million units.

PS5 sales compared to the same month for the PS4 in 2016 are up by over 80,000 units, while the Xbox Series X|S compared to the same month for the Xbox One are up by nearly 34,000 units. PS4 sold 239,017 units for the month of May 2016 and Xbox One sales were at 138,247 units.

Nintendo Switch sales compared to the same month a year ago are up by 197,895 (58.7%). PlayStation 5 sales are up by 167,944 units (110.9%) and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by 50,342 units (-22.7%). The PlayStation 4 is down 14,700 units (-85.4%) year-over-year.

Looking at sales month-on-month, Nintendo Switch sales are up by over 73,000 units, PlayStation 5 sales are down by nearly 70,000 units, and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by nearly 76,000 units.

2023 year-to-date, the PlayStation 5 has sold an estimated 2.63 million units, the Nintendo Switch has sold 2.09 million units, and the Xbox Series X|S has sold 1.39 million units.

Monthly Sales:

Americas hardware estimates for May 2023 (Followed by lifetime sales):

1. Switch - 535,009 (48,787,790)
2. PlayStation 5 - 319,321 (16,796,402)
3. Xbox Series X|S - 171,904 (12,846,414)
4. PlayStation 4 - 2,508 (41,569,278)

USA hardware estimates for May 2023:

1. Switch - 450,474
2. PlayStation 5 - 270,835
3. Xbox Series X|S - 145,118
4. PlayStation 4 - 2,122

Weekly Sales:

May 6, 2023 hardware estimates:

Americas:

1. Switch - 133,128
2. PlayStation 5 - 85,397
3. Xbox Series X|S - 37,693
4. PlayStation 4 - 618

USA:

1. Switch - 112,352
2. PlayStation 5 - 72,351
3. Xbox Series X|S - 31,923
4. PlayStation 4 - 523

May 13, 2023 hardware estimates:

Americas:

1. Switch - 160,445
2. PlayStation 5 - 81,245
3. Xbox Series X|S - 40,873
4. PlayStation 4 - 645

USA:

1. Switch - 135,235
2. PlayStation 5 - 68,925
3. Xbox Series X|S - 34,512
4. PlayStation 4 - 546

May 20, 2023 hardware estimates:

Americas:

1. Switch - 122,881
2. PlayStation 5 - 77,698
3. Xbox Series X|S - 46,094
4. PlayStation 4 - 628

USA:

1. Switch - 103,052
2. PlayStation 5 - 65,938
3. Xbox Series X|S - 38,945
4. PlayStation 4 - 531

May 27, 2023 hardware estimates:

Americas:

1. Switch - 118,555
2. PlayStation 5 - 74,981
3. Xbox Series X|S - 47,244
   
4. PlayStation 4 - 617

USA:

1. Switch - 99,835
2. PlayStation 5 - 63,621
3. Xbox Series X|S - 39,738
   
4. PlayStation 4 - 522

VGChartz Methodology: Hardware estimates are based on retail sampling and trends in individual countries, which are then extrapolated to represent the wider region. This typically allows us to produce figures that end up being within 10% of the actual totals.

This data is regularly compared against official shipment figures released by the console manufacturers and figures estimated by regional trackers with greater market coverage than ourselves. We then update our own estimates to bring them into line with those figures. This can result in frequent changes often within a short space of time, but we feel it's important to prioritise accuracy over consistency.

Note that our estimates are based on sell-through data (units sold to consumers). In almost all cases the figures released by console manufacturers are based on shipment data (sell-in), where as soon as a device has left the factory and entered the supply chain for delivery it is considered a sale. This is why there is always a difference between the companies’ figures (sell-in) and VGChartz estimates (sell-through), even after we’ve made adjustments. The one exception to that is when a console has been discontinued and the remaining stock has finally sold out – at that point the figures will match.

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 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

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