Supply-constrained PS5 shifts 4.5m units as Sony predicts highest-ever profit Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Supply-constrained PS5 shifts 4.5m units as Sony predicts highest-ever profit Loss leader. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 3 Feb 2021 135 comments The PlayStation 5 has sold 4.5m units, Sony has announced. It's an impressive figure for the supply-constrained console, which was released in November 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Watch on YouTube Eurogamer Next-Gen News Cast - Should Sony issue refunds for Control on PS5? The sales figure, accurate as of 31st December 2020, is roughly in-line with the launch sales of the PlayStation 4 at the same point in its life. But it's worth noting demand for the PS5 has heavily outstripped supply, and it remains out of stock at a raft of retailers who have faced trouble with scalpers and bots. Sony said it's on track to sell over 7.6m PS5 units by the end of its current fiscal year (31st March 2021). The hope is PS5 shipments will surpass the PS4's sales over this initial launch period to become the biggest console launch of all time. During its Q3 2020 financial report issued this morning, Sony confirmed astonishing sales success, mainly due to the ongoing financial performance of its PlayStation business. Its Game and Network Services division saw its best ever quarter, with revenue up 40 per cent year-on-year to 883.2 billion yen (£6.1bn). Operating income (profit) was up nearly 50 per cent to 80.2bn yen (£559m). That profit came despite the PS5 being sold at a loss, which Sony confirmed overnight ("loss resulting from strategic price points for PS5 hardware that were set lower than the manufacturing costs"). The money, then, was made from profitable software sales (103.7m games were sold across the PS4 and PS5 in the quarter) and digital revenue from the likes of PlayStation Plus and DLC, which continue to contribute vast swathes of cash. Sony first-party game sales, if you were wondering. Some updated figures of note: Insomniac's Spider-Man: Miles Morales has sold 4.1m copies. For context, predecessor Spider-Man had sold 13.2m copies as of the end of July 2019. PS Plus now has 47.4 million subscribers, up from the 45.9 million Sony reported at the end of September 2020. PlayStation Network now has 114 million monthly active users, up from the 108 million reported in the previous quarter. The PS4 sold 1.4m units during Q3, down from 6m the previous year. That decline is to be expected as the world moves on to the PS5. Sony is aiming to sell more than 14.8m PS5s in its next fiscal year, which would be more than the number of PS4s shipped during its second year. But the company is facing a chip shortage that could hamper manufacturing. "We expect PS5's high demand to continue into next fiscal year and will do our best to meet that demand," Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki said at a news conference attended by Nikkei. "We will make efforts to secure enough materials." Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store