Sony's PlayStation 5 console continues to sell well, with sales slightly exceeding those of last year. Software sales are showing a similar trend, which is why Sony has raised its sales outlook. However, the outlook for operating income remains unchanged, partly due to one-off effects and tariffs.
Following Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony has now presented its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 (July to September 2025). During this period, 3.9 million PlayStation 5 consoles were sold worldwide, compared to 3.8 million in the same period last year. Since its launch, 84.2 million PS5 consoles have been sold - just under 2.1 million fewer than the PlayStation 4 in the same period. No specific sales figures were provided for the PlayStation 5 Pro, PlayStation 4 or PS VR2.
In the software sector, 80.3 million full games were sold on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles, which is 2.6 million more than in Q2 of the 2024 financial year. Of these, 6.3 million were first-party titles from Sony Interactive Entertainment. Digital sales accounted for 72 per cent of full-game software sales. PlayStation Network had 119 million monthly active users, three million more than the previous year. Ghost of Yotei, which was released in early October and is therefore not included in the reporting period, sold approximately 3.3 million copies in 32 days, putting it on par with its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima.
| Game & Network Services Segment Sales Breakdown Q2 FY25 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Segment | (Millions of Yen) | (Millions of €) |
| Hardware | 230,943 | 1,293 |
| Game Software | 629,344 | 3,524 |
| Physical Software (Subsection of Game Software) | 35,396 | 198 |
| Digital Software (Subsection of Game Software) | 268,280 | 1,502 |
| Add-on Content (Subsection of Game Software) | 299,848 | 1,679 |
| Other Software (Subsection of Game Software) | 25,820 | 145 |
| Network Services | 182,681 | 1,022 |
| Others | 70,202 | 393 |
| Segment Total Sales | 1,113,171 | 6,233 |
Overall, the Game & Network Services segment generated ¥1,113,171 million (~€6.233 billion), marking a 4 percent year-on-year increase. Increased sales of games and in the Network Services segment were cited as reasons for this growth. However, operating income fell by 13 percent to ¥120,400 million (~€674 million), due in part to the "recording of impairment losses against a portion of Bungie Inc.'s intangible and other assets in connection with Destiny 2" (¥31.5 billion; approx. €176 million) and expenses resulting from a correction in the amount of certain previously capitalised development costs"(¥18.3 billion; approx. €102 million).
The full-year sales forecast has increased by three per cent, rising from ¥4.320 trillion (~€24.2 billion) to ¥4.470 trillion (~€25 billion), thanks to stronger hardware sales and favourable currency exchange rates. Operating income was not adjusted (¥500 billion; ~€2.8 billion). This was offset by positive exchange rate effects, fewer losses from hardware and stronger sales in network services, as well as the expected impact of tariffs amounting to approximately ¥30 billion (€168 million).
The Game & Network Services division accounts for nearly 36 percent of Sony's total sales and around 28 percent of its operating income.
