Xbox and PS5 sales in the US show why the next gen is arriving so soon-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

They’re already on the way out (Sony/Microsoft/Metro)

Console sales continued to fall in the US during September, as EA Sports FC 25 became the biggest seller of the month and PS5 the top console.

Xbox has already confirmed they’re working on a next gen console and a PlayStation 6 announcement is surely not far behind, but for many the current generation has only just begun and it’s far too early to start thinking about a new one.

But after Xbox’s disastrous hardware results last Christmas, in the US, it’s become clear that it’s all downhill from here for the Xbox Series X/S. And despite outselling its rival by a factor of 2:1 it’s the same for the PlayStation 5, whose sales peaked earlier than expected are now also on a downward trend.

That’s been underlined by the September sales results from the US, where the Xbox Series X/S was once again outsold by the seven-year-old, and soon to be replaced, Nintendo Switch. Overall, spending on consoles was down 44% from the same time in 2023, reaching its lowest point since 2019 (the year before the current generation began).

The Xbox Series X/S saw the biggest drop in sales, of 54%, but the PlayStation 5 wasn’t far behind on 45%. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch saw a more modest drop of 23% from 2023.

Although there are no official sales figures for the month, it’s possible to estimate them at roughly 280,000 for the PlayStation 5, 165,000 for the Nintendo Switch, and 150,000 for the Xbox Series X/S.

The worldwide totals also have to be estimated, because Microsoft won’t reveal them for the Xbox, but they’re thought to be around 30 million for the Xbox Series X/S, 60 million for the PlayStation 5, and upwards of 143 million for the Nintendo Switch.

Other stats include the fact that 51% of Xbox sales this generation, in the US, are for the Xbox Series X, rather than the cheaper Xbox Series S. That compares to only 18% for the cheaper PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, without a disc drive – although this did rise to 40% in September.

In terms of software sales in September, EA Sports FC 25 was the top-seller in the US, followed by Astro Bot at number two.

It’s rare for an EA football game to top the US charts but the second entry in the EA Sports FC series saw, unspecified, double-digit growth for the franchise. That gave it the best month of sales for any (association) football game ever in the US.

Astro Bot became the 25th bestselling game of the year, confirming it as a solid hit for Sony. It’s not one of their biggest sellers but it will have been considerably cheaper to make compared to games like Spider-Man 2 and God Of War, and may even proven more profitable.

Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom placed fourth in the chart but like all Nintendo releases that does not include digital sales. Nintendo isn’t the only one not to reveal digital sales though and both NBA 2K25 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (at number 18) would’ve charted higher if they were included.

Space Marine 2 has sold much better than expected, so it’s a shame not to get a clearer idea of its sales, but perhaps the biggest surprise in the top 20 is that Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics beat it by debuting at number 16.

That’s a very impressive achievement for a compilation of aging 2D fighting games and may well encourage Capcom and Marvel to think again about a new entry in the franchise.

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