Switch vs PS4 vs Xbox One Global Lifetime Sales – May 2018

During the month of May 2018, the PS4 outsold the Switch by 215,254 units for the month and the Xbox One by 609,222 units. The Switch outsold the Xbox One by 393,968 units.

When you compare monthly sales to a year ago, the Xbox One and Switch are up, while the PS4 is down. The Xbox One is up 28,284 units, the Switch is up 187,970 units, and the PS4 is down 289,793 units.

Taking a look at the marketshare, the PlayStation 4 managed to achieve 48 percent. The Nintendo Switch accounted for 37 percent of the consoles sold, and the Xbox One 15 percent.

[PhoenixUp]

PS4 continues reigning supreme

[BiggerBoss]

Over double the sales of its closest "competitor", that's pretty nice.

Sony has to be feeling pretty confident right about now.

[PowerOfTheCloud]

WTF i was sure ps4 sales will fall flat over the crossplay fiasco^^

[troylazlow]

@ConsoleGamer If it does effect the numbers it will show in next months numbers, not this report.

[UCForce]

@troylazlow Oh really ? Is that how you think ? God of Of War, Gran Turismo Sport and Detroit Become Human and Horizon Zero Dawn are top 10 in UK. I’m sure they will do fine in next month.

[PowerOfTheCloud]

Troylazlow

Good joke. Nothing will change.

I remember xbox fanboys predicting a slowdown on ps4 sales when xbox 1 got back compatibility - nothing changed.

And now their bets are on crossplay to do the job but again nothing will change. Ps4 will continue to lead and keep on demolishing x1 on monthly sales comparisons.

[Akarogg]

No need to launch the PS5 any time soon

[UCForce]

I agree. They will announce it at the right time.

[FallenAngel1984]

“Taking a look at the marketshare, the PlayStation 4 managed to achieve 48 percent. The Nintendo Switch accounted for 37 percent of the consoles sold, and the Xbox One 15 percent.

PlayStation 4 Monthly Sales: 889,073

Xbox One Monthly Sales: 279,851

Switch Monthly Sales: 673,819“

Shit PS4 nearly sold half of total current gen console hardware units that month.

[BiggerBoss]

PS4 is THE console to buy right now.

With exclusives like God of War, Detroit, and Spider-Man, and third party deals with games like Red Dead Redemption, what other choice is there?

[Akarogg]

You forgot Dreams (Which is always being forgotten)

[AlphaCentyros]

Yeah that game is too creative for me, unfortunately I don’t have the time to create artsy levels or something.

[NotoriousWhiz]

Nearly half. Which means that Switch + Xbox one sales (combined) are greater than that of Playstation 4. If software sales follow a similar pattern, then PS4 will have the smallest community for new games where there exists cross play between Switch and Xbox one.

[badz149]

LOL you wish!

[NotoriousWhiz]

@badz, I don't wish anything. I'm only stating facts.

[CP_Company]

xbox numbers it's obvious too high. 30-31M is about right. EA and Sony numbers don't lie.

[BiggerBoss]

Lol, I'm a PS4 guy, but there's no way that the Xbox is at 30 million right now.

It's definitely closer to 40 million, despite the enormous lead by PlayStation.

[PowerOfTheCloud]

Given the slow pace x1 is selling in us and its nonexistence in europe and asia i wouldn't count on 40 million tbh

[AmUnRa]

You dont know, the only one who knows how many xbox consoles are sold is Microsoft, and they are silent as hell. When they realy sold more than 40 mil. don't you think they would give the numbers?
It is just not possible to know the exact numbers, like i sayd, only Microsoft knows.

[DialgaMarine]

Well, go tell EA that.

[The 10th Rider]

EA released the combined sales of both consoles through the end of 2017: 103M

Sony released the sales of the PS4 through the end of 2017: Around 74M

People then figured that if you subtract the PS4 sales from the total console sales, you have Xbox One's numbers.

Things don't work that way though. What's likely is that the PS4 numbers are sold to retailers and the EA numbers are sold through to consumers.

This is in line with IHS Markit data, which put Xbox One sales through March 31st 2018 at 39 million, and PS4 sales at just under 77 million.

The last reported Xbox One sales, which are again likely based on sold to retailers, is 18-19 million after 26 months on the market. Since then the Xbox One has had another 29 months on the market and generally sales have been increasing year-on-year. Even if Xbox One sales remained flat since the last released numbers in January 2016, it would still be at 38 million (sold to retailers). However, as I stated they've generally increased YOY, which would put that number even higher and 39 million sold through to consumers seems like a very realistic number.

[Prince_TFK]

You mean Xbox One stop selling when it reaches 30 mils? The sales number after that just magically disappear?

[DialgaMarine]

No, but considering it likely been averaging less than 300K per month worldwide, it’s unlikely it’s above 32 million.

[GameBoyColor]

lmao looks like x1x's "beast hardware" couldn't even pull it ahead of a 720p handheld device XD

[welly300]

Exclusive games. for some reason Nintendo games are popular. Not forgetting its hybrid so its taking from 2 markets handheld and home console. X was launched to give playerz choice and to give this gen a boost, just like the pro. Not to compete with the switch

[Prince_TFK]

It is the only “720p” handheld device on the market, and a good one at that.

[Prince_TFK]

The the GPD Win 2 can play Nintendo games? Wow I gotta get myself one.

[Inzo]

The PS4 will still be selling well in the ±3 years it has left but I think sales will gradually start to slow down from here on. I dont know how long Nintendo intends to keep the Switch on the shelves but I think it will sell really well through the next two years and then by 2020 it will also start slowing down. As for Xbox, I think MS is already looking at their next gen console, the Xbox 1X did not have the desired effect or impact and they know the Xbox 1 is dying a slow death so they will be looking for another head start over the Playstation. Expect the next Xbox to launch at the end of 2019 or beginning 2020.

[stuna1]

I wouldn't count on sales slowing if the PS4 Pro ever hits the sweet spot of $200! It'd be the PS2 era all over again! They already have the formula to make that a reality. The Games' Marketshares, Mindshares, all they need now is the price.

[The 10th Rider]

It's been four and a half years and they're just around half of PS2 sales. Plus PS4 sales seem to have peaked. It's not getting near PS2 sales.

[Inzo]

Well these are the thoughts of Sony's CEO and I tend to agree with him but yes, a price drop should have an impact on sales just not as significant as you might think.

[stuna1]

@The 10th Rider

And it's not $200 either!? Also I never said anything about it matching or beating PS2 era sale, even though as of now the PS4 is selling faster than the PS2 in the same time frame even without the price cut.

[DialgaMarine]

@10thRider PS4 is also still selling at $300, and still doing this well. When Sony eventually permanently drops the price to below $200, that alone will keep the sales going for at least a couple years after. I agree that PS4 probably won’t hit PS2 numbers, but it’ll be close.

[yeahright2]

It's not going to reach PS2 numbers. PS two had more going for it and less hurdles. PS2 was already the "it" console but didn't even have to worry about whatever numbers xbox would do since it launched so much later. it was a dvd player at the perfect time and I'm sure that got a ton of people to pony up who were on the fence. mobile gaming wasn't a thing to peel off some filthy casuals.
The only real advantages PS4 has over PS2 is that they can set the price to a more attractive number and population growth, but both of those have to be weighed against profit margins and lost of sales to mobile casuals.

[The 10th Rider]

@DialgaMarine,

It's not going to get close.

Sony's own prediction for the end of this fiscal year (so through March 2019) is about 95 million. Their own predicted YOY drop for this year is 20%, so let's assume the PS5 doesn't launch in 2019 (which it may) and they see another 20% drop the next year. That would put them at about 13M for March 2019-March 2020, and they would be at 108M overall. With the PS5 likely releasing before 2021, the sales are going to start seeing a sharp slowdown. I'd say the ceiling is 130M if the PS5 launches holiday 2020 and more likely they will end up around 120M. If the PS5 launches holiday 2019 it'll probably knock around 10M off of that. That's around 75% of the PS4's sales . . . Certainly impressive sales, but hardly "close" to the PS2's.

@stuna1,

Yeah, and? Do you think a price drop is suddenly going to magically add 10M to the total sales? It's going to help but historically price drops don't send consoles flying off the shelves. As Inzo said, you're overestimating the impact of a price drop. Also, you did say "It'd be the PS2 era all over again" in an article about the global lifetime sales of consoles, so my comment is hardly irrelevant to the topic or to what you said.

[yeahright2]

@rider 120 million would be insane. the second highest selling home console ever.

[The 10th Rider]

Yeah, as I said it would certainly be impressive. I'm just saying we're not going to see PS2 level sales. I'm in the camp that believes PS5 releases holiday 2019, so my prediction would probably sit around 100-110M lifetime. If they hold out an extra year or two 120M is definitely a possibility though.

[Relientk77]

PS4 getting close to 80 million units sold, nice

[DialgaMarine]

This is as if May. No doubt it’s well passed 80 million by now.

[sin7279]

But but fortnite! Lol

[Akarogg]

That has hurt

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

ms honestly doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the top, tbh. they can't even get their own controllers to work properly with their own os(windows) lol like, wtf are they even doing? i could understand if i was trying to use a ps4 or some 3rd party controller, but when your own product doesn't work properly on your own os at the very basic levels, then you f***ed up.