Notebookcheck Logo

PlayStation 5 sales vs Xbox Series X and S: Estimated figures give PS5 the win but Microsoft's consoles and the Nintendo Switch are in great demand

The PS5 and XSX have both sold well in the US. (Image source: Sony/Microsoft - edited)
The PS5 and XSX have both sold well in the US. (Image source: Sony/Microsoft - edited)
Estimated figures for the launch day sales for both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles have revealed that although Sony’s device has greatly outsold its rival, there has still been plenty of demand for the Microsoft machines. In terms of weekly console sales, the Nintendo Switch has been happily snapping at the heels of the PS5 and XSX/S.

Unsurprisingly, the PlayStation 5 defeated the Xbox Series X and S when it came to launch day sales, at least according to estimates put together by a VGChartz analyst. Apparently, 2.1 million to 2.5 million units of the PS5 were sold in total on its two launch days, but the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S also did very well with an estimated 1.2 million to 1.4 million units sold. Up to 780,000 Xbox Series consoles were sold just in the US on launch day, while the launch day sales estimate for the PS5 in the US stands at up to 1.2 million.

The VGChartz reports offer some breakdowns of the launch day figures for Sony’s hardware that reveal between 230,000 and 280,000 PS5 consoles were sold in the UK in its first 24 hours of release (November 19), while Canadians snatched up around 100,000 units the week before (November 12). Gamers in Australia and New Zealand have accounted for a decent tally of 45-60,000 units, while the PS5 also sold strongly in Germany and France with over 100,000 units apiece. VGChartz estimates that the Xbox Series X and S made a sterling effort in Europe with up to as many as 400,000 consoles sold on launch day.

As for recent worldwide console sales figures, for November 8-14, once again the PS5 is the winner…but only just. Sales for Sony’s device are estimated at 1.48 million for the week while Microsoft’s boxes managed 1.35 million. Curiously enough, the Nintendo Switch still managed to reach a figure of over 722,000 sales even in a week dominated by heavy PS5 and Xbox Series X/S promotion. The Switch was the best-selling console in Asia for this period, while things were very close between the two big guns in Australia and New Zealand (Oceania), with the PS5 beating the Xbox Series by less than 3,000 units.

However, the numbers will look considerably different for the next period, as it will include the PS5’s rest of the world launch date (Nov 19), meaning the Europe sales figures will likely be dominated by Sony’s device and no doubt there will be big changes for the Asia and Global estimates, too. Although most expected the PS5 to clean up in regard to sales in the gaming hardware market, these estimated figures still make for positive reading for the executives over at Xbox HQ while Nintendo bosses will surely be wearing smiles of smug satisfaction.

Estimated console sales Nov 8-14. (Image source: VGChartz/AZ Recom - edited)
Estimated console sales Nov 8-14. (Image source: VGChartz/AZ Recom - edited)

Source(s)

VGChartz (1/2/3) & @PlayStation

static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 11 > PlayStation 5 sales vs Xbox Series X and S: Estimated figures give PS5 the win but Microsoft's consoles and the Nintendo Switch are in great demand
Daniel R Deakin, 2020-11-27 (Update: 2020-11-27)