In brief: While the best-selling console of all time is the PlayStation 2, Sony has again said that the latest generation of the long-running console line, the PlayStation 5, is the "most successful" – though there are a few reasons why.
Geoff Keighley, the video game journalist and presenter known for hosting The Game Awards, posted an image on X of Sony executive Hideaki Nishino's presentation at the Tokyo Game Show.
Nishino-san says PlayStation 5 is the most successful generation in PlayStation history. pic.twitter.com/E5feupYHGr
– Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) September 25, 2025
The chart behind Nishino shows that from 2020 to 2024, the PlayStation 5 generation earned Sony $136 billion in sales. That's more than any other generation before it.
According to the chart, the original PlayStation console's sales reached $24 billion between 1994 and 1999. The PS2 (2000 – 2005) was at $44 billion, and the PS3 (2006 – 2012) was $71 billion.
The PlayStation 2, of course, is the best-selling console of all time, shifting 160 million units during its lifetime, while the PlayStation 5 has sold half that amount – 80.3 million units.
The figures on the chart obviously have not been adjusted for inflation. Had that been the case, the PS2 would have been a lot more competitive.
Moreover, the PS5 figure includes all versions of console – standard, digital, slim, and the expensive Pro – as well as accessories such as the DualSense controllers and PSVR2 headsets. Sony also counts PlayStation Store revenue, PlayStation Plus subscriptions, cloud gaming and streaming revenue, PlayStation Direct sales, and first-party game sales in the number.
This isn't the first time Sony has shown off this chart. It was revealed during its Business Segment Meeting in May, when it also included operating income figures for each generation. The PS5 was still top with $13 billion, followed by the PS4 ($9 billion), the original PlayStation ($3 billion), the PS2 ($2 billion), and finally the PlayStation 3, which actually lost Sony $4 billion over six years.
In August, Sony said a challenging economic environment was forcing it to increase the price of its PS5 consoles in the US by $50: the increase means consumers now pay $499.99 for a digital edition console, $549.99 for a standard machine, and $749.99 for a PlayStation 5 Pro. The hike will further cement the PS5 as Sony's most financially successful PlayStation generation.
Image credit: Roberto Minasi