In brief: Despite being available for around two years less than the older console, the PlayStation 5 has now surpassed the PlayStation 3 in terms of lifetime sales in the United States. The news comes as total video game spending in the US increases 10% compared to the same period last year, thanks in part to Borderlands 4 and the Nintendo Switch 2.
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella wrote in a Bluesky post that September's sales period saw the PlayStation 5 surpass the PS3 in lifetime installed base.
Piscatella didn't reveal any figures, but Sony Interactive's business and sales data page gives us some global numbers. The PlayStation 3's cumulative lifetime sales are at over 87.4 million, while the PS5's, as of June 30, are more than 80.2 million.
With roughly 35 - 40% of global PlayStation sales typically coming from the US market, it's estimated that around 30 - 35 million PS3 consoles were sold in the US over its lifetime.
Sony's stats reveal that the PlayStation 4 sold more than 117 million units globally. Piscatella also mentioned in his post that PS5 sales in the US are ahead of the PS4 on a time-aligned basis (i.e., at the same point during their lifecycles) and have been for quite some time. He added that the PS5 is currently ahead of the PS4 by 4.6%.
The PlayStation 2 remains Sony's and the world's best-selling console of all time, with over 160 million units.
In another Bluesky post, Piscatella revealed some US video game industry stats for September. Total sales for the month were at $4.8 billion, marking a 10% increase compared to the $4.3 billion in sales during September 2024.
Video game content accounted for most of that figure ($4.3 billion), up 11% YoY. $324 million was spent on hardware, and video game accessories were at $197 million – down 10% YoY.
Looking at the year-to-date figures, overall US spending in 2025 is up just 2% compared to last year ($42.1 billion vs. $41.4 billion). Video game hardware so far this year, however, is up 20% compared to the same point in 2024 ($3.1 billion vs. $2.6 billion).
The release of the Nintendo Switch 2 in June has been a major factor in increased hardware spending, of course, while Borderlands 4 and other new releases drove software spending.
The analyst also revealed the top US games based on total monthly users. Helldivers 2 jumped to the top of the Steam chart, followed by Counter-Strike 2 and Borderlands 4. Fortnite still has the most players on Xbox and PlayStation.
Image credit: Branden Skeli