PS5 Reaches 97.9 Million Units Shipped, Sony Says PS6 On Schedule

Sony presented its figures for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 on November 5th, and there's plenty for PlayStation fans to unpack: The PS5 has now shipped 97.9 million consoles, and the development of the next PlayStation is proceeding "as scheduled," according to CFO Lin Tao.

Key figures from the quarter

In the quarter ending September, 2.6 million PS5 consoles were shipped, 0.9 million fewer than in the same period last year.
The gaming division increased revenue by 9 percent and operating profit by 89 percent year-over-year.
Sony raised its forecast for the division's revenue and operating profit. The company cited increased sales of third-party titles, including GTA 6, as well as first-party games and cost improvements.
Marvel’s Wolverine has sold 2.4 million copies, according to Sony (as of November 4th).
The PlayStation Network reached 127 million monthly active users, eight million more than a year ago.
PS5 and PS4 games combined sold 88.2 million units (up 7.9 million), with 8.2 million being first-party titles. 78 percent of full games were downloaded digitally.

When will the PlayStation 6 arrive?

Sony continues to withhold a specific date. Tao stated that the company aims to make "solid progress" in preparing the next platform in the next fiscal year, which begins in April 2027. Investments in the new platform will commence then, with details to be provided "at an appropriate time." Crucially for production, Sony claims to have already coordinated memory volumes for the upcoming fiscal year with suppliers, aligning with planned sales figures. As a reminder, CEO Hiroki Totoki previously stated that there is no set release date yet. Analysts, according to VGC, are anticipating a 2028 release, while other observers believe an even later launch is possible.

Why is profit increasing despite fewer PS5 sales?

This is the truly intriguing question. Sony says the decline in hardware sales is expected at this stage of the console cycle. Simultaneously, the company managed to offset increased memory costs through price adjustments, tailored promotions, and cost reductions, and expects hardware profitability to remain at last year's level. Software and services are driving the rest: PS5 owners are buying games, and increasingly doing so digitally.

Our assessment

Two things stand out. First, the mention of GTA 6 as a driver for the raised forecast demonstrates how significantly Sony benefits from the Rockstar release, which we recently examined based on Sensor Tower's pre-order estimates. Second, "on schedule" sounds reassuring but reveals nothing about pricing or release date. The fact that Sony will only significantly ramp up investments in the PS6 starting in April 2027 suggests that for players, the PS5 will remain the focus for the foreseeable future, complete with new exclusive titles like Wolverine. This is our assessment, not a statement from Sony.