Brotaku

Reports from the NPD Group and GamesIndustry have revealed that the PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in both North America and Europe in January 2023. In the United States, the PS5 saw a significant increase in sales due to improved supply whilst Switch sales remained steady. The only hardware to see a decrease in sales was the Xbox Series family of consoles.

It’s a similar story in Europe where the PlayStation 5 was also the best-selling console with sales up by 202% year-over-year. The Switch however saw an 11% decrease year-over-year, which isn’t a huge surprise given its age. The Xbox Series family of consoles saw a 32% decrease year-over-year which is quite a surprise as this should be when the platform begins to hit its stride.

In Japan, however, the PS5 did not manage to dethrone the Switch which topped the monthly charts. Despite the improved stock situation in Japan the PS5 only managed to sell 278,432 units, around 95,000 fewer units than the Nintendo Switch. This isn’t really a surprise as Japan prefers portability.

Despite the surge, the PS5 still faces supply issues in Europe and North America. Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed that the console will be easier to purchase in 2023 but it appears as though there’s still quite a bit of catching up to do. In Japan, retailers have begun to move away from the lottery ticket system for the PS5 but the console still remains an extremely fast seller.