Xbox and PS5 console sales in the US show why the next generation will arrive so soon

On October 24, 2024By Yukito

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles — They are already on their way to the market (Sony/Microsoft/Metro)

Console sales continued to decline in September in the US, when EA Sports FC 25 became the biggest seller of the month and PS5 the best console.

Xbox has already confirmed that it is working on a next-gen console, and the announcement of the PlayStation 6 is certainly not far behind, but for many, the current generation has only just begun and it is far too early to start thinking about the next one.

However, after Xbox’s disastrous hardware performance last Christmas in the US, it has become clear that things are going to get worse for the Xbox Series X/S. And while sales outpaced its rival by a factor of 2:1, similarly to the PlayStation 5, whose sales peaked earlier than expected are now also trending downward.

This was highlighted in September’s US sales results, where sales of the Xbox Series X/S were once again outsold by the seven-year-old, soon to be replaced by the Nintendo Switch. Overall, console spending was down 44% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching its lowest level since 2019 (a year before the launch of the current generation).

The biggest drop in sales, 54%, was recorded by Xbox Series X/S, but PlayStation 5 was not far behind at 45%. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch saw a more modest decline of 23% compared to 2023.

While there is no official sales figure for this month, it can be estimated at around 280,000 for PlayStation 5, 165,000 for Nintendo Switch, and 150,000 for Xbox Series X/S.

Global totals also need to be estimated as Microsoft won’t reveal them for Xbox, but it’s believed to be around 30 million for Xbox Series X/S, 60 million for PlayStation 5 and over 143 million for Nintendo Switch .

Other statistics take into account the fact that 51% of this-generation Xbox sales in the U.S. are for Xbox Series .

In terms of software sales in September, the best-selling product in the US was EA Sports FC 25, followed by Astro Bot.

It’s rare for an EA soccer game to top the US charts, but the second installment of the EA Sports FC series delivered unspecified double-digit growth for the brand. This provided the best sales month of any (association) soccer game in U.S. history.

Astro Bot became the 25th best-selling game of the year, confirming that it is a solid hit for Sony. It’s not one of their biggest sellers, but it will be significantly cheaper to produce compared to games like Spider-Man 2 and God Of War, and may even prove more profitable.

Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom finished fourth on the list, but so did all Nintendo releases that do not include digital sales. Nintendo isn’t the only company not disclosing digital sales, however, and NBA 2K25 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (at No. 18) would have achieved higher spots on the charts had they been included.

Space Marine 2 sold much better than expected, so it’s a shame not to have a clearer picture of its sales, but perhaps the biggest surprise in the top twenty is that Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics beat it, debuting in 16th place.

This is an impressive achievement for a compilation of aging 2D fighting games, and may encourage Capcom and Marvel to rethink their next entry in the series.

Top 10 best-selling video games in the US (physical and digital)