New Chart Reflects the Sentiments of PlayStation Fans This Generation

The PlayStation 5 generation has been a bit of a slog for Sony. After a robust lineup of first-party titles that marked the end of the PS4 era, the current phase has seen a slowdown as the company grapples with longer development cycles and a misstep in live-service games that consumed valuable time on projects that either got canceled or didn’t meet expectations. Many fans have sensed this downturn, and recent data supports those feelings.

A new chart reveals Sony’s total first-party game sales on its consoles since 2020, showing a stark contrast to the overall game sales on those platforms. First-party sales hit their peak in fiscal year 2020 with 58.4 million copies sold, buoyed by PS4 hits like Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II, along with PS5 launch titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the Demon’s Souls remake. Since then, those numbers have generally declined each year, with the exception of the last one.

What shifted in fiscal year 2025? For starters, Sony was recovering from a particularly weak first-party showing the previous year, which included the Concord fiasco. While titles like Astro Bot and Stellar Blade (developed by external studios) performed well, others like Lego Horizon Adventures didn’t fare as well. However, last year marked a turnaround with new open-world sequels like Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, leading to an increase in first-party sales and breaking a four-year slump.

Sony’s first-party game sales have been on a downward trend almost every year since 2020.

As a new State of Play approaches, it’s evident that Sony could use more standout titles.

Interestingly, the growth in third-party game sales doesn’t seem to be the culprit for this trend.

How do these figures stack up against total game sales across the platforms? As expected, total sales peaked during the pandemic at an impressive 338 million copies. After a decline, sales have been on the rise again, with nearly 320 million games sold last year. With the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI this fall, it’s likely that record will be surpassed.

This situation reflects the mixed feelings many PS5 owners have during this console generation. While Sony has seen overall success, that broader platform achievement has come despite a lack of a strong identity for its first-party offerings in recent years. There have been standout titles from studios like Team Asobi and Sucker Punch, but nothing that truly encapsulates the PS5 experience in the same way that Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima defined the PS4.

Part of the issue lies in the significantly longer development times. Games that once took three to four years to develop now often require five years or more, even for sequels that build on previous titles, like Ghost of Yotei. Additionally, the shift towards live-service gaming has led to some ill-fated acquisitions and a slew of games that didn’t resonate with players, aside from notable exceptions like Helldivers 2. As the PS5 approaches the end of its lifecycle, it’s likely to benefit from pent-up projects. The real question is whether Sony can maintain that first-party momentum into the PS6 era without losing its way again.