The PlayStation 5 Is 2023’s Best-Selling Console To Date In The US

Data from the Circana (formerly NPD Group)—a highly established information tracking company based in the US— shows that the PlayStation 5 has made a killing in February, boasting over 533,000 units sold in one month alone. For an individual PlayStation platform, the PS5 has broken an all-time record previously set by the PlayStation 2 back in 2005 and is now the best-selling console of the 2023 year to date in the United States.  

PlayStation 5 has more than 533.000 units in February NPD delivering a new record for Playstation. Above PlayStation 2 in 2005. https://t.co/gRSM7hsGdM pic.twitter.com/1X3dveG5Gc

— Hugo Azevedo 🇵🇹 (@iHuGi) March 29, 2023

First spotted by Twitter user Hugo Azevedo and then quickly confirmed by Mat Piscatella, expert industry analyst and current Circana employee, it appears that no other console in the history of PlayStation has made a mark as prominent as the PlayStation 5 sales-wise in February. Absolutely phenomenal hardware figures that put Sony’s front-runner way ahead of the competition relatively early into 2023. 

For an individual PlayStation platform yes.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Moreover, it’s not just February that makes the PlayStation 5 the best-selling console to date in 2023; the preceding month has been fairly generous in this regard as well. Reportedly, the PS5 logged about 410,000 sales in January, with the majority of that figure being constituted by its physical variant comprising a disk drive. 2023 is pretty much shaping up to be a record year all around.   

January & February Numbers estimates according to @Welfare_JBP on IB Forum.

Sony transformed their weakest region in their strongest.

North America is PlayStation 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TJEj3p1oj0

— Hugo Azevedo 🇵🇹 (@iHuGi) March 29, 2023

Taking to Twitter to talk about the hardware market gains, Mat Pisctella confirmed, “PS5 was the best-selling hardware platform in units and dollars over both the February 2023 and 2023 YTD time periods.” As for the hardware spending in general, a 68% increase has been increased on that front as compared to February 2021, leading the spending budget to amount to $495 million.  

Growth in PlayStation 5 hardware spending drove the February hardware market gains. PS5 was the best-selling hardware platform in units and dollars over both the February 2023 and 2023 YTD time periods. YTD HW spending is now 29% higher when compared to the same period in 2022.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

The PlayStation 5 is just a phenom at this point, appealing to the masses with either its quirky in-built hardware, mainly concerning haptic feedback, powerful hardware, and that magisterial DualSense, or clever marketing tactics by Sony. For starters, the console’s Ragnarok bundle is on sale for $509 at the moment on Amazon; it comes with a PlayStation 5 physical console, one controller, and God of War Ragnarok. 

For the entirety of its first year of launch, the PlayStation 5 was practically unattainable by millions across the world unless you were seriously dedicated to bagging the console. Scalpers got to the available stock like there was no tomorrow, leaving little room for a genuine buyer to get through the transaction and actually purchase a PlayStation 5.

Fast-forward to this day, it’s relatively easier to get the PS5. As a matter of fact, the console’s January sales rose over 98% in the UK compared to last year, thanks to the stock being readily available now and easily accessible from major retail platforms, such as Best Buy, Target, and even Walmart. And now to think about the impending arrival of juggernauts like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XIV, 2023 just might be Sony’s year. 

In other news, though, the popular Australian electronics retailer The Good Guys might have let the product description of the PlayStation 5 Slim slip. The main landing page for the console states, “The new look, slimmer PlayStation 5 – incredibly vivid, vibrant colours with breathtaking HDR visuals and immersion – whether you’re gaming or streaming movies and TV shows.” Make what you want of that. 

The internet is of the opinion that Jim Ryan, Sony’s current president, and CEO, is the key figure behind the PlayStation 5’s success, taking over the company with a working strategy to uplift the console’s marketing and subsequent sales. Whatever the actual reason, the PlayStation 5 is a force to be reckoned with and larger-than-life competition for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S consoles. 

• Next Up: PlayStation 5 Update Adds New Animation For Unlocking A Platinum Trophy.