The PS5 doesn’t sit on the shelves of supply chains and retailers for very long. Since its release in November 2020, you can call yourself lucky if you manage to find and buy one at retail price.
The console is especially sought-after in the US, as indicated by newly-released data.
The Popularity of the PS5 Continues to Soar
In news that’ll probably shock very few, the PlayStation 5 is now the fastest-selling gaming console in US history—even when it’s only been on the market for five months.
This is in terms of both lifetime unit and dollar sales, says Mat Piscatella, Executive Director, Games at retail analyst firm The NPD Group. He did not give exact sales figures, but then again, neither has Sony (see the company’s February earnings report [PDF]).
US NPD HW – PlayStation 5 is the fastest selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales (lifetime sales with five months on the market).
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) April 16, 2021
Additionally, the PS5 DualSense controller was the leading accessory in dollar sales for the month of March and the first quarter of 2021.
If you don’t already own a PS5 but are desperate to grab one, you’ve probably witnessed firsthand just how quickly the console goes out of stock. Sony sold 4.5 million PS5 units in 2020, and yet there’s still an overwhelming consumer demand for it.
It’s easy to blame this problem on scalpers, but they aren’t the only reason why you still can’t get hold of a PS5.
Other Highlights of The NPD Group Video Game Market Data
Piscatella’s long Twitter thread didn’t focus squarely on the PS5, though. He discussed the firm’s data on US consumer spending on the whole video game market as of March 2021.
In the first quarter of 2021, Americans spent $14.9 billion on gaming hardware, content, and accessories. That’s 30 percent more than 2020’s first quarter.
Video game hardware sales this month were 47 percent higher than that of a year ago, at a March record of $680 million. Piscatella states the previous high as a point of reference: $552 million, which was set in March 2008.
He also gave a list of the top 20 selling games of March 2021 across all platforms (as well as top ten lists for each major console). The top ten, ranked on dollar sales, are as follows:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Monster Hunter: Rise
- Outriders
- Super Mario 3D World
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Mario Kart 8
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars
- Minecraft
The PS5 Is Yet Another Case of Demand Exceeding Supply
The PS5 has inflicted gamers all around the world with FOMO, or the fear of missing out, since not everyone that wants a unit can get their hands on one. NVIDIA has a similar problem with its graphics cards.
Hopefully that’ll change, since Sony chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki claimed in February that the company was on track to sell over 7.6 million units total… but we shouldn’t hold our breath. It doesn’t look like the hype for the PS5 won’t be dying down anytime soon.