PS5 Sales Hit 97.9 Million as Sony Says PS6 Development Is on Schedule: Q2 Results Explained

PS5 sales have reached 97.9 million units, putting the console within touching distance of 100 million. Sony shared the figure with its results for July to September 2026, the second quarter of its fiscal year, and also raised its full-year PlayStation forecast.

The same report brought two other headlines players care about: Marvel's Wolverine has sold more than 2.4 million copies, and Sony's finance chief says development of the next PlayStation is progressing as scheduled.

PS5 sales: the key numbers from Sony's Q2

According to Sony's official results presentation, the Game & Network Services segment, which covers PlayStation, posted:

Advertisement

• Sales of ¥1.21 trillion, up 9% year on year, driven by network services such as PlayStation Plus and by first-party and third-party games.
• Operating income of ¥220.1 billion, up 83%. Much of the jump comes from a weak comparison: the same quarter in 2025 included a ¥31.5 billion impairment of Bungie assets and an ¥18.3 billion correction to development costs.
• 2.6 million PS5 units sold in the quarter, down from about 4 million a year earlier, for a lifetime total of 97.9 million.
• About 88.2 million PS4 and PS5 games sold in the period, 8.2 million of them from PlayStation Studios, and a record 127 million monthly active users for a September.

Hardware revenue fell because fewer consoles were sold, which Sony's CFO Lin Tao described as an expected decline at this stage of the PS5's life. Software, subscriptions and services did the heavy lifting.

Sony raises its PlayStation forecast

Sony now expects the gaming segment to bring in ¥4.83 trillion in sales and ¥700 billion in operating income for the fiscal year ending March 2027, up from ¥4.54 trillion and ¥660 billion in its previous outlook.

The company credits higher sales of third-party games, cost improvements and network services. Analysts quoted by Video Games Chronicle point to strong pre-orders for GTA 6, whose pre-load opens on November 10. Sony also notes lower expected first-party sales this year because one title's release date changed, without naming the game.

Marvel's Wolverine passes 2.4 million copies

Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, released exclusively on PS5 on September 15, had sold more than 2.4 million copies by early November. It is the first official sales figure for the game. Several outlets read it as a softer start than Insomniac's Spider-Man games, but the title still helped lift engagement during the quarter, and it arrived late in the period, so most of its sales window is still ahead.

What Sony said about PS6

Asked about the next console, Lin Tao said PS6 development is "progressing as scheduled" and that investment in the new platform will begin from the next fiscal year, which starts in April 2027. Sony has not announced a name, price or release date, and CEO Hiroki Totoki has previously said no launch date has been decided.

Sony also addressed rising memory prices. It says it has secured the memory it needs for the console sales it projects through the fiscal year ending March 2028, and that it offset higher component costs with pricing changes, promotions and cost cuts.

What this means for PS5 owners

For players, the message is stability. PS5 is far from finished: Sony's revenue now leans on games and subscriptions, GTA 6 is days away, and the company wants PS5 hardware to stay as profitable as last year. A PS6 is clearly in the works, but nothing in this report points to an imminent reveal. If you are still building your library, our list of the best PS5 games is a good place to start.

How many PS5 consoles has Sony sold?

97.9 million as of September 30, 2026, including 2.6 million in the July-September quarter.

When is PS6 coming out?

Sony has not announced a date. It only says development is on schedule and that investment ramps up from April 2027.