PS5 has edged 1% ahead of PS4 in U.S. lifetime hardware sales through month 71. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella’s figures also put PS5 40% above PS3 at the same point in their generations.
US. Source: Circana Retail Tracking ServiceLTD Units (Through Month 71)PS5: +40% vs PS3, +1% vs PS4XBS: -35% vs 360, -28% vs XBOCalendar year 7 YTD Units (Jan-Sep)PS5 (2026): -4% vs PS3 (2012), -3% vs PS4 (2019)XBS (2026): -81% vs 360 (2011), -45% vs XBO (2019)
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-10-29T14:00:31.712Z
The cumulative lead comes alongside a slower recent pace. From January through September 2026, PS5 unit sales were 3% below PS4 sales in the same months of 2019 and 4% below PS3 sales in 2012.
Xbox Series also trailed its predecessors in both comparisons. Through month 71, its U.S. cumulative sales were 35% below Xbox 360 and 28% below Xbox One. From January through September of its seventh calendar year, Xbox Series sales were 81% below Xbox 360 sales in 2011 and 45% below Xbox One sales in 2019.
Today’s price comparison needs a caveat because the offers differ. Sony’s U.S. store lists the standard PS5 at $650 and PS5 Pro at $900. A 2019 PlayStation Black Friday promotion priced PS4 at $200, about $270 in today’s dollars. By then, the PS4 library included The Last of Us Remastered, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn.
PS5 also faced serious supply constraints early in its generation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its narrow lifetime lead sits alongside that difficult start and a weaker 2026 year-to-date comparison.
How do you interpret the gap between PS5’s slight lifetime lead and its slower 2026 sales? For more on console pricing and generation-to-generation sales, connect with us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
