PS5 Tops Black Friday Console Sales in the US

The PlayStation 5 took the lead in Black Friday sales across the US, as revealed by recent data from Circana, which monitors gaming sales trends. Mat Piscatella from Circana noted that Sony’s console accounted for 47% of all hardware unit sales during Black Friday week, significantly surpassing the Switch 2 at 24% and the Nex Playground at 14%. There was no information provided on Xbox’s performance. Piscatella remarked, “Black Friday week is a major promotional period for video games. Products that don’t see price cuts typically don’t experience much of a seasonal boost compared to the previous week. The performance during this week often aligns closely with what’s being promoted and the extent of those promotions.” He further explained, “On the hardware front, the PS5 experienced the most significant discounts, leading to a substantial increase in sales. Honestly, that’s the main takeaway from the week.” The PS5 was indeed heavily discounted for Black Friday, with prices dropping by around $100. Retailers also offered deals on Xbox consoles and the Nex Playground. For those unfamiliar, the Nex Playground is an AI-driven console akin to Kinect, equipped with a camera for body tracking in games. It had outsold every PS5 and Xbox model the week prior in the US. In the UK, the PS5 also led the market, capturing 62% of all console sales, while the Switch 2 accounted for 23% and Xbox trailed at 10%. Notably, the PS5 Pro was particularly popular in the UK during Black Friday, achieving its highest sales week since its launch in November 2024.