PlayStation outsells Xbox big time in Europe

The European video game market experienced a slight decline of 2.3% year-on-year in October 2023, with 10.21 million PC and console games sold across the region, according to GSD data. Despite this small dip, the absence of Call of Duty, a major franchise that launched in October 2022, highlights the resilience of the European market.

In the console hardware segment, PlayStation 5 reigned supreme as the best-selling console in Europe, excluding the UK and Germany. Over 481,000 PS5 consoles were sold across the tracked markets in October, representing a significant 143% increase from October 2022, primarily driven by improved stock availability.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch maintained its position as the second-best-selling console, despite a 20% decline in sales compared to last October. Xbox Series S and X sales continued to struggle in Europe, experiencing a 52% year-on-year drop.

In contrast to September, total market sales experienced a substantial surge of almost 16%, with PS5 sales seeing an 11% increase, Switch sales climbing by 10%, and Xbox sales slightly declining by just under 20%. Notably, the launch of Xbox's significant exclusive, Starfield, took place in September, while the major titles for PlayStation and Nintendo, Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros Wonder, were introduced in October.

This data includes digital game sales from major game publishers throughout the Eurozone (excluding the UK) and physical game sales across all major markets in the Eurozone. This link provides an analysis of the UK market.

The PS5 console offers access to the latest video games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The PlayStation 5 console (slim) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Bundle is currently discounted by 11% on Amazon, available for US$499.