PS5 Outsells Xbox 360 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 19 December 2025 / 13,581 Views
Sony's latest video game console, the PlayStation 5, which is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, has outsold the lifetime sales of the Xbox 360, according to VGChartz estimates.
The PS5 has sold an estimated 86.12 million units worldwide through November, while the Xbox 360 sold 85.73 million units lifetime.
Up next for the PS5 is the PlayStation 3 with 87.40 million units sold lifetime, followed by the Nintendo Wii with 101.63 million units sold, and the PlayStation with 102.49 million units sold.
Breaking down sales by region, the PS5 has sold an estimated 30.58 million units in North America, 30.44 million units in Europe, 7.22 million units in Japan, and 17.89 million units in the rest of the world.
This compares to the Xbox 360, which sold 46.14 million units in North America, 25.08 million units in Europe, 1.66 million units in Japan, and 12.85 million units in the rest of the world.
Further breaking down PS5 Europe sales, the console has sold an estimated 5.34 million units in the UK, 5.87 million units in Germany, and 4.87 million units in France.
The PlayStation 5 launched worldwide in November 2020, while the Xbox 360 launched North America in November 2005, in Europe and Japan in December 2005, and the rest of the world over the following year.
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 follow the author on Bluesky.
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Add your comment...The PS5 will likely not be far from 90 million units, and could even surpass that after the Christmas holidays, probably reaching 100 million by the release of GTA 6. With the boost related to GTA 6 and the big Black Friday sales of 2026, it could even surpass the PS4 in total sales, before or after the arrival of the PS6. Especially since Xbox, its direct competitor, is in serious trouble, and Nintendo with the Switch 2 remains separate from this competition. It will also depend on any potential price increases related to RAM. But despite the big shortage at the beginning, PlayStation has experienced real success with the PS5.
Noo,it did not. Switch2 is not gemn 10,its in the middle of genn9
Doesnt work like that.
Console generations generally last 5 to 8 years and multiple factors can define what a gen is. It can be tech parity, market timelines and manufacturer intentions. In early gens ( 1 to 6) it was generally all 3. Consoles would have similar tech vintage, actively compete with each other on the market for the typical console gen length and be the manufacturers intended entry to a particular generation.
However from gen 7 (The Wii,) Nintendo dropped tech parity and yet the Wii remained their next generation of console hardware for the market and it actively competed for market share with the PS3 and 360. So Nintendo redefined expectations for a console gen entry. They did this again 6 years later (falling within typical gen length) when they released the Wii U which again didnt have tech parity with the PS4/Xbox One, releasing just a year before them and being Nintendo's intended next gen entry following the Wii/PS3 gen.
The Wii U was then succeeded by the Switch 1 as Nintendo's declared next generation entry (manufacturer intention) therefore kicking off gen 9. The Switch 1 would go on to compete against the PS5/XSX as Nintendo's sole entry in the market, longer than it competed against the PS4/Xb1 (market timeline.)
Nintendo has this year launched the Switch 2 as their intended next generation (manufacturer intention) kickstarting the next cycle of competition between the platform holders. Sony and Xbox are strongly rumoured to launch their entrys in 2027. This gap does not exclude them from being in the same generation anymore than the N64 launching near 2 years after the PS1 did.
Switch 1 has no doubt won generation 9 in terms of hardware units sold.
We can categorize console generations differently based on certain factors or aspects.
I.E. We can categorize the Switch 1 console as a Gen 8 device based on the fact it has prioritized hardware features like Tessellation which Gen 7 consoles didn't have. (Xbox 360 did have Truform, but that relied on N-patches to work.)
And we can categorize the Switch 2 as a Gen 9 console based on the fact it's hardware is centered around Ray Tracing.
WiiU would obviously be a Gen 7 console as it's primary strengths lay with programmable shaders of the SM3 standard.
And Gamecube/Wii would both be Gen 6 devices being based on fixed function pipelines.
Those would be groupings based solely on technological parity. As i explored above the picture became more nuanced than that several generations ago.
Whilst on a hardware front the Wii might have been gen 6, no one would argue against it being Nintendo's intended entry to the 7th gen or that it was active and competing for consumer time and dollar more readily against the 360 and PS3 rather than PS2, Xbox and GC.
Shared tech characteristics are not the sole determinant of what console generation you belong to.
Platform holder intention and marketplace timeline/competition are also factors. Wii U was Nintendo's 8th gen entry, it announced Switch 1 as its next gen entry:
https://x.com/NintendoAmerica/status/725221813081522176?s=20
Switch 1 competed against PS5 longer than it did PS4. Just like Switch 2 launching just 2 years before the rumoured PS6 launch, will compete actively against PS6 longer than it did against PS5. Whilst also being Nintendo's intended successor to its last console generation.
Hence my point that we can categorize console generations differently.
If we were to group consoles based on the types of games that were popular, it would also align roughly with the hardware capabilities on offer.
I.E.
Gen 4 was dominated by 2D platformers.
Gen 5 was dominated by 3D platformers.
Gen 6 was dominated by Action Adventure (That wasn't open world) and Racing.
Gen 7 was dominated by shooters.
Gen 8 was dominated by open world.
And so forth.
And contrary to popular belief, you can actually also release more than 1 console in generation.
We can all form arbitrary categories as an academic exercise. But it would be disingenuous to act like anything other than what the platform holders intend , what they consider their market competition for a given generation and what they strategize for is what matters.
You can have more than one console entry for a given generation, but Switch 1 wouldnt be an example of that given Nintendos intentions were for it to be their next generation of hardware as I evidenced. So thats besides the point.
If your argument is "Nintendo says it is, so it must be" is your "evidence" then there really isn't anymore to discuss if you cannot ascertain why that type of thinking is fallacious.
Companies exist to make a profit and will attempt all sorts of ways to disingenuously advertise their product to make it seem more appealing in order to accrue more sales.
I mean... We only have to take a look at the Nintendo 64 - 64bits was made to be better than 32bits, when in reality the OG Xbox was a 32bit console and orders of magnitude faster.
Advertising. People fall for it every single console generation.
I mean... People genuinely think the Switch is a hybrid console when in reality it's just a tablet. Literally just a tablet. - It couldn't even be more of a tablet if it tried.
Company advertising is a powerful reality distortion field that gets in the way of logic and critical thinking it seems.
As for the WiiU specifically, it's got more in common with Gen7 (And launched during Gen7) than the Gen8 consoles. - It literally got a library full of Gen7 ports.
The Switch has more commonality with Gen8 hardware and is full of Gen8 games.
Switch 2 has more in common with Gen 9 consoles and is receiving Gen9 games.
Who is more qualified to dictate what constitutes a console generation than the gaming industry or the very platform holders themselves? Certainly not you or I brother.
You seem to be conflating tech hardware generations with console generations. They are two entirely different things. They are linked, with Sony and MS tying the launch of their entries into a console gen with availability of specific technology, but you have multiple gpu gens and node advancements within a single console gen thus illustrating a relationship but not synonymy.
Platform holder intention, market timeline/active competition and tech characteristics are factors which can define a gen. Not just tech characteristics. Youre running off an outdated perspective that hasnt been accurate since the PS2 era.
Industry accepted the Wii as 7th gen despite its 6th gen tech foundation:
https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/next-generation-games-console-war-heats-up/
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/wii-and-ps3-launches-a-study-in-contrasts
Industry accepted the Wii U as the 1st 8th generation console:
"This holiday season also ushered in a transition away from the previous generation of systems (Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), with the eighth generation of gaming consoles (Nintendo Wii U, Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One) now available."
https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2015/no-stranger-to-the-video-game-most-eighth-generation-gamers-have-previously-owned-consoles/
Gamesindustrybiz talking of Wii U as being the 1st of the next generation with a year headstart on PS4 and Xbox One:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/red-flags-a-plenty-heading-into-wii-us-launch-10-years-ago-this-month
And after 4 and a half years on the market Nintendo replacing its 8th gen entry with their intended entry into the next generation:
https://x.com/NintendoAmerica/status/725221813081522176?s=20
Not a companion piece. "The next generation of Nintendo"
Industry analyst perspectives regard the Switch 2 as the start of gen 10 preceding PS6 and the future Xbox:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-games-industry-will-only-have-room-for-one-non-nintendo-console-next-gen-its-claimed/
Its conclusive. The platform holders and industry do not subscribe to the definition of console generation that you currently hold. So in discussion here with regards to console generations from industry perspective, its probably best to revise that understanding so as not to confuse the discourse.
Nice discussion.
Everyone is "qualified" to dictate what a console generation is, there isn't a specific training qualification for it.
Again... We can literally categorize a console generation in a multitude of different ways, which I have demonstrably demonstrated prior... And you seem to be missing that point entirely.
...And that makes any arbitrary claim of what console belongs in what generation... An ultimately pointless affair.
I havent missed the point at all. I addressed that point as being disingenuous as what matters is what the industry in question decides on the matter. Not what we non players concoct to avoid conceding in debate.
The platform holders and industry's take aligns with what I highlighted above.
This site is based around the products, services and players of said industry so when referencing the characteristics of said industry (e.g console generations) our understanding needs to align otherwise any related discussion is flawed.
Nintendo remains separate when it is conveninet to say that Nintendo remains separate
Exactly! When Playstation sales are something to write home about, everyone's included and compared. But when Nintendo's on top, they conveniently become non-competitors.
I highly doubt the PS5 will be at 100 million by the time GTA 6 releases. (Assuming it's still Nov 2026).
I think it’s entirely possible, and even if it doesn’t reach the goal, it will come very close. According to PlayStation’s figures as of September 30, Sony reports that the PS5 has sold 84.2 million units. If estimates for October and November hold true, and with a good December, it will easily surpass 90 million. In 2026, there will be a huge number of game releases. Additionally, PlayStation often offers promotions throughout the year. The only problem is the inflation of RAM prices.
PlayStation's are shipped not sold which is what VGChartz tracks. If you're going off shipments then yes I can see it hitting that, but sold I cannot. Here's why:
The PS5 sold 10.5 million from January to October this year. I'm predicting 7 million during that same time next year.
The PS5 is at 86.1 million as of November 2025 and I predict it will do 2.9 million in December to bring it to 89 million at the end of the year (17 million for the year).
So my prediction by November 1st 2026 the PS5 will be at 96 million sold, maybe 100 million shipped to get consoles in stores for the holidays.
As for November and December 2026 I don't see GTA 6 boosting sales to be better than this year since GTA5 didn't do that for PS3 in 2013 vs it's 2012.,and Red Dead 2 didn't do that for PS4 in 2018 vs it's 2017.
So my prediction for next year is 10-12 million PS5's sold vs my prediction of 17 million this year.
I have been working in a video game store for 25 years, and customer excitement for GTA 6 is much stronger than for GTA 5 or Red Dead Redemption 2. Comparing it to GTA 5 on PS3 doesn’t make much sense for several reasons. First, it has been over ten years since a new GTA was released; back in the PS3 era, we had GTA 4 followed by GTA 5, with only a five-year gap between the two. Also, back in the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, there was real competition, and sales were balanced. Today, with the PS5 and Xbox Series, there is hardly any competition: PlayStation dominates the market, and the promotion of GTA 6 will mainly focus on the PS5, with a collaboration with Rockstar and PS5 and PS5 Pro bundles specifically dedicated to the game. On the other hand, Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t really a title that boosts console sales. PS5 sales are going to skyrocket with the release of GTA 6.
Next targets : PS3, Wii, PS1 and PS4.
It looks like PS5 might reach 100 million units by the end of November 2026. Both GTA VI and black Friday sale will give it a crazy boost.
if the PS3 cost wasn't so high this would of happened a couple years ago
500$ isn't THAT bad in 2006. Yes there was a higher priced 600$ model but a 500$ model was available.
No, it was crazy. PlayStation original - $299. PS2 - $299. Xbox original - $299. Xbox 360 (without HDD) - $299. NES - $199. SNES - $199. N64 - $199. GameCube - $199. Wii - $249.
PS3 launching at $499/$599 was insane at the time, I know because I have been through all those systems listed above, and stood in line for hours on launch day for PS2 and PS3 and PS4 and PS5. For PS3, I got it from Walmart, the $599 version, sold it on eBay for $900 the same week. Then I bought it again about four weeks later at $599 at Walmart (when the next restock occured) with money leftover for games and an extra Sixaxis controller haha
There was an in person launch for PS5 for you back in 2020? There wasn't here in Canada. I preordered my launch PS5 from Best Buy Canada and had it shipped through the mail because there was no stock sold in stores due to Covid at the time.
So, my PS5 was pre-ordered as well from GameStop, but I still went a few hours early (around 9:30ish, I think) to my one and only local GameStop store, because they were having a lunch event for it (free pizza, drinks, etc) ahead of its midnight release allowing you to pick it up then. And, they did have some units reserved for first day buyers that came that night (I think it was 5), so when I got there, there were already some people there waiting, hoping to get one of those units. This GameStop for me in part of small strip mall setup, so its an outside entrance only. Therefore, the line and waiting and pizza all that jazz was all outside - with the doors only allowing customers in at that midnight time, and then only allowing one person at a time inside due to COVID restrictions.
Before PS5 though, I did pre-order PS4 as well and did the same thing (went to GameStop early for its midnight release to hang with people). PS3 and PS2 though were "real" waiting for me, I don't recall if pre-orders were a thing then or not I guess. PS3 I waited at Walmart, for about 8 hours. PS2, at Kmart, for 12 hours haha. PS2 is still my favorite launch - the Kmart people brought us pizza and snacks and drinks and everything.
The WORST launches, for me, were Nintendo's. This is cause of two reason: Nov releases for GameCube and Wii, and Nintendo before always releasing on a Sunday. Where I live, GameStop is closed on Sundays, so you couldn't get a GameCube or Wii there on actual launch day. That left Walmart (Kmart in my area closed in spring 2001, after the PS2 launch, but before GameCube in Nov 2001). We have a law here though, restricting any grocery store from opening before noon on Sunday - and since Walmart has groceries, that meant it couldn't open till noon on Sunday.
All of which wouldn't be that bad, except I live in North Dakota, and for both the GameCube and Wii launches, it was like -10 to -20 below zero for wind chills on those Sunday morning, and you to wait OUTSIDE since the doors literally wouldn't open till noon, and if you went to your car to warm up, you would lose your place in line lol. It was awful haha
the ps3 price was way to high compared to the X360
It was the same price if you bought the HDD and the Wifi dongle and a wireless controller. Core came with a wired controller. Not to mention 360 did not have HDMI Out and at launch could not do 1080P. It took an update to do 1080i and not until the Elite in 2007 with an HDMI port. Wii was the budget option for a new console but the real low income console at the time was PS2, 100bucks and Gamestop where I worked had a massive wall of used PS2 games.Many 10 bucks or less in the bargin bin. We had few budget conscious shoppers. They went for PS2.
Absolutely impressive
Congrats... I guess. My eyes are focused on if SW1 will ever pass the DS. It's only got 2m more to go (give or take).
It's shipments are 154.01M, only 10k away from the DS 154.02M, so DS is a given, but not much more after that. With the data from November, and the 80% drop December won't be more than a million. I expect shipments to hit 155M or 155.5M at most. Then another 1.5M shipments for the year ending march 2027, and 500k more at most. So final number should settle at somewhere around 157-158M.
We got an xbot kid here saying rrod shitbox 3shitty have far better games than PS5!! LMAO are you fucking serious?!?
xbot shills are a special kind 🤦🏻♂️
I have mixed feelings, I glad for PS5, I hope they can outsell PS4, but on the other hand.
I think it can for a few reasons
- GTA Vi: Some of the GTA VI crowd just bought a PS5 this year and the last few years. Still, there's probably half a million or more future GTA VI players who don't have a PS5 yet.
- The cross-gen cycle will likely be even longer than PS4 and PS5. And I think this will translate to more PS5 consoles manufactured after PS6 replaces it. PS5 Pro and PS5 (Disc Drive) will probably be discontinued with PS5 All-Digital as the last PS5 standing for a more budget friendly PlayStation compared to PS6 which will probably be $700-$850.
- The continuing fall of Xbox hardware. Even if the next Xbox launches around or before PS6, how much competition will it pose to PS5 and PS6? Xbox Series had a soft death in hardware sales. It's not discontinued yet, but its sales aren't much.
Bought 3 of these bad boys as gifts over the years. Still don't have one myself.
Xbox 360 had far better games... I still feel like the Xbox Series and Playstation 5 are still finding their feet and still trying to build a game library that is noteworthy.
The industry sure has grown.
