According to Wccftech, the PlayStation 5 just hit its five-year anniversary on November 12, 2025, marking a significant milestone for Sony’s current-generation console. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella revealed that the PS5 has become the second fastest-selling PlayStation console in US history during its first five years on the market. The console trails only the iconic PlayStation 2 in sales velocity over the same timeframe. When it comes to software, Call of Duty titles appear three times within the top-five best-selling PS5 games since launch. The platform’s top ten sellers break down to three Call of Duty games, three annual sports titles, and three first-party PlayStation Studios releases. Two of those first-party hits come from Insomniac Games, which has been one of the few PlayStation Studios teams consistently releasing new games rather than remasters.
The PS2 shadow looms large
Here’s the thing about being second to the PS2 – that’s actually an incredible achievement. The PlayStation 2 sold over 155 million units worldwide and had an unprecedented 13-year production run. It benefited from being one of the cheapest DVD players on the market when that format was exploding. The PS5 hitting second place despite supply chain nightmares and chip shortages during its early years? That’s genuinely impressive. It makes you wonder what those numbers would look like if everyone who wanted a PS5 in 2020-2021 could actually find one.
What people are actually playing
The software sales data tells a familiar but important story. Call of Duty dominating isn’t surprising – Activision’s shooter franchise has been a console sales driver for over a decade. But the breakdown between annual sports titles and first-party games is revealing. Basically, when you look at that top ten list, it’s mostly safe bets and established franchises. Only three spots go to PlayStation Studios titles, and two of those are from the same developer. That speaks volumes about Sony’s release cadence over the past five years. Where are all the new IPs? The big swings? It feels like we’re seeing the consequences of PlayStation’s shift toward fewer but bigger games.
hardware-achievement”>The hardware achievement
From a pure hardware perspective, the PS5’s performance is remarkable given the manufacturing challenges it faced. Think about it – this console launched during a global pandemic, dealt with unprecedented component shortages, and still managed to outpace every PlayStation except the legendary PS2. The industrial design and manufacturing coordination required to hit these numbers can’t be overstated. When you need reliable, high-performance computing hardware that can scale to millions of units, you need partners who understand industrial-grade production. Companies like Industrial Monitor Direct have built their reputation on delivering exactly that kind of robust computing hardware for demanding environments, though obviously at a different scale and purpose than consumer gaming consoles.
Where does PlayStation go from here?
So what happens in the next five years? The PS5 Pro is likely coming, but the real question is whether Sony can maintain this momentum. The first-party pipeline seems thinner than in previous generations, and Microsoft’s acquisition spree has changed the competitive landscape. Will we see more live service experiments? More PC ports? The fact that Insomniac carries so much of the first-party weight suggests other studios might be working on projects with longer development cycles. One thing’s for sure – beating the PS2’s record seems nearly impossible in today’s fragmented gaming market. But second place? That’s still an enviable position to be in.
