New data shows Sony has been selling fewer and fewer copies of its PlayStation exclusives since 2020

PlayStation’s first-party game sales have experienced a significant decline over the past five years, according to data from Sony’s annual financial reports collated by journalist Stephen Totilo at Game File.

Sales peaked in fiscal year 2020 (April 2020 to March 2021) at 58.4 million units, driven by major releases like The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima, which coincided with the PS5 launch. However, sales declined steadily in subsequent years: FY21 saw 43.9 million units, FY22 dropped to 43.5 million, FY23 fell to 39.7 million, and FY24 bottomed out at just 28.9 million units—less than half the FY20 peak. FY24’s weak performance came despite releases of Astro Bot and Concord.

The downward trend finally reversed in FY25, when first-party sales rebounded to 32.1 million units, marking the first increase in five years. This improvement was bolstered by the release of Ghost of Yōtei from Sucker Punch Productions, which launched five years after its predecessor Ghost of Tsushima.

While the data underscores Sony’s struggle to maintain consistent first-party software momentum during the PS5 generation, some analysts note the importance of context—FY20 was an exceptional year partly due to pandemic-driven demand. Nevertheless, the figures highlight pressure on Sony to deliver a stronger pipeline of exclusive titles, particularly as the company has raised PS5 prices and subscription costs.

Sources

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