Switch Sells Over 1.5M, PS5 Sells Over 1M - Worldwide Hardware Estimates for May 2023 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 July 2023 / 11,237 Views
The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console worldwide with 1,525,579 units sold for May 2023, according to VGChartz estimates. The Nintendo Switch has now sold an estimated 126.52 million units lifetime worldwide.
The PlayStation 5 sold an estimated 1,095,237 units to bring its lifetime sales to 38.45 million units. The Xbox Series X|S sold 329,569 units to bring their lifetime sales to 21.96 million units. The PlayStation 4 sold an estimated 11,548 units to bring its lifetime sales to 117.05 million units.
PS5 sales compared to the same month for the PS4 in 2016 are up by nearly 343,000 units, while the Xbox Series X|S compared to the same month for the Xbox One are up by over 67,000 units. PS4 sold 752,290 units for the month of May 2016 and Xbox One sales were at 262,190 units.
Nintendo Switch sales compared to the same month a year ago are up by 472,773 (44.9%). PlayStation 5 sales are up by 519,032 units (90.1%) and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by 132,424 units (-28.7%). The PlayStation 4 is down 16,833 units (-59.3%) year-over-year.
Looking at sales month-on-month, Nintendo Switch sales are up by nearly 252,000 units, PlayStation 5 sales are down by nearly 251,000 units, and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by over 52,000 units.
2023 year-to-date, the PlayStation 5 has sold an estimated 7.44 million units, the Nintendo Switch has sold 5.88 million units, and the Xbox Series X|S has sold 2.23 million units.
Check out the breakdown of the Americas sales here, the Europe sales here, and the Japan sales here.
Monthly Sales:
Global hardware estimates for May 2023 (Followed by lifetime sales):
- Switch - 1,525,579 (126,512,699)
- PlayStation 5 - 1,095,237 (38,449,757)
- Xbox Series X|S - 329,569 (21,960,569)
- PlayStation 4 - 11,548 (117,045,066)
- Switch - 535,009
- PlayStation 5 - 319,321
- Xbox Series X|S - 171,904
- PlayStation 4 - 2,508
- Switch - 371,758
- PlayStation 5 - 333,075
- Xbox Series X|S - 120,155
- PlayStation 4 - 3,272
- Switch - 555,153
- PlayStation 5 - 401,557
- Xbox Series X|S - 16,706
- PlayStation 4 - 5,553
- Switch - 63,659
- PlayStation 5 - 41,284
- Xbox Series X|S - 20,804
- PlayStation 4 - 215
Weekly Sales:
Global May 6, 2023 hardware estimates:
- Switch - 391,769
- PlayStation 5 - 304,537
- Xbox Series X|S - 74,790
- PlayStation 4 - 3,058
Global May 13, 2023 hardware estimates:
- Switch - 426,852
- PlayStation 5 - 275,618
- Xbox Series X|S - 78,898
- PlayStation 4 - 2,737
Global May 20, 2023 hardware estimates:
- Switch - 360,608
- PlayStation 5 - 257,743
- Xbox Series X|S - 85,842
- PlayStation 4 - 2,845
Global May 27, 2023 hardware estimates:
- Switch - 346,350
- PlayStation 5 - 257,339
- Xbox Series X|S - 90,039
- PlayStation 4 - 2,908
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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Switch About 130M until end of June
Arent PS5 and Switch numbers in Asia inverted? Seems to me like Switch sold 555k and PS5 sold 400k. Pretty decent numbers for both, I would say. I wonder if Switch can stay ahead in June.
I've adjusted the Xbox One estimates to match the ~58M figure that was revealed by Microsoft. Also adjusted Xbox Series X|S down ~50K so it matches the 3.2M figure for Q4 2022. I've updated all recent monthly articles.
90 percent increase in sales year over year for PS, wow... meanwhile Xbox is really getting wrecked, too bad, they need to right the ship
It’s Phil! The guy’s a cheerleader when they need a Quarterback.
feels like
You said it all!
Wouldn't that make Switch best selling year 7 console? I don't recall any console selling that much, that late, outside the holiday season.
Pretty sure the Switch has outsold any PlayStation or Xbox system that was in its seventh year, and there is a basis for comparison there.
meaningless though, you should be comparing the Switch versus the PS2 + PS3 etc then, the new console was already out
If Xbox gets such a boost with Starfield which Nintendo had with Zelda, it will be an interesting fall.
For competition sake let's hope so.
I think a single game won't make people run for a console. You need a lot more AAA games!
Essay Pro