PS5 Remains Best-Seller - Europe Hardware Estimates for January 2026 - Sales

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The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in Europe with 265,302 units sold for January 2026, according to VGChartz estimates. The PS5 has sold 31.98 million units lifetime. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 was the second best-selling console with an estimated 156,900 units sold to bring lifetime sales to 3.75 million units. The Nintendo Switch 1 was the third best-selling console with an estimated 36,063 units sold to bring lifetime sales to 39.64 million units. The Xbox Series X|S came in fourth place with 19,680 units sold to bring its lifetime sales to 8.52 million units.

Switch 2 sales compared to the same month for the Switch 1 in 2018 are down by over 95,000 units as the Switch 1 sold 252,266 units in Europe in January 2018.

PS5 sales compared to the same month for the PS4 in 2019 are down by over 141,000 units, while the Xbox Series X|S compared to the same month for the Xbox One are down by over 91,000 units. PS4 sold 406,446 units for the month of January 2019 and Xbox One sales were at 110,785 units.

PlayStation 5 sales compared to the same month a year ago are down by 10,834 (-3.9%). Xbox Series X|S sales are down by 27,202 units (-58.0%) and Nintendo Switch 1 sales are down by 70,065 units (-66.0%).

Looking at sales month-on-month, PlayStation 5 sales are down by nearly 1.12 million units, Switch 2 sales are down by over 0.75 million units, Xbox Series X|S sales are down by over 62,000 units, and Nintendo Switch 1 sales are down by over 179,000 units.

Monthly Sales:

Europe hardware estimates for January 2026 (Followed by lifetime sales):

1. PlayStation 5 - 265,302 (31,979,721)
2. Switch 2 - 156,900 (3,748,149)
3. Switch 1 - 36,063 (39,644,527)
4. Xbox Series X|S - 19,680 (8,515,380)

Weekly Sales:

Europe January 10, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. PlayStation 5 - 84,849
2. Switch 2 - 51,779
3. Switch 1 - 12,579
4. Xbox Series X|S - 5,651

Europe January 17, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. PlayStation 5 - 63,939
2. Switch 2 - 40,247
3. Switch 1 - 8,422
4. Xbox Series X|S - 5,033

Europe January 24, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. PlayStation 5 - 59,760
2. Switch 2 - 33,731
3. Switch 1 - 7,756
4. Xbox Series X|S - 4,447

Europe January 31, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. PlayStation 5 - 56,754
2. Switch 2 - 31,143
3. Switch 1 - 7,306
4. Xbox Series X|S - 4,549

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 follow the author on Bluesky.

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