Xbox Series X /S U.S. sales trail behind Xbox One, while PS5 surpasses PS4 sales

The latest sales data from Circana reveal a split performance for Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S consoles in the US. As of the most recent reporting period, the PS5’s unit sales have surpassed the PS4 by 7% in the first 52 months following the two consoles’ launch.

The PS5 numbers are most likely also positively impacted by the holiday season, but 2025 started with the worst month for hardware sales since 2020, with sales falling by 45% compared to 2024, according to a previous report from Mat Piscatella.

In stark contrast, though, combined sales of the Xbox Series X and S are 19% behind the pace of the Xbox One at this point. This data points to the robust market and consumer demand for the PS5, which outperformed its predecessor despite market challenges such as supply chain hiccups and semiconductor shortages.

Conversely, weaker sales of the Xbox Series X and S point to potential issues in market positioning or consumer acceptance compared to the prior success of the Xbox One. Considering Microsoft’s new Adaptive Joystick and the migration of AoE and Forza Horizon 5 to PS5, the tech giant is betting pretty big on turning the tables and making those numbers significantly grow in 2025.