PlayStation First-Party Game Sales Have Declined Over the Past 5 Years, Although Ghost of Yotei Helped Reverse the Trend

On the eve of Sony’s important State of Play showcase, caller information has revealed a dependable diminution successful first-party PlayStation crippled income implicit the past 5 years, though 2025's Ghost of Yotei helped reverse the trend.

Having accrued the terms of a PlayStation 5 and the outgo of a PlayStation Plus subscription, Sony is nether unit to present with tonight’s State of Play, which we cognize volition see a caller look astatine Insomniac’s Wolverine game. But fans are hoping to perceive much from Sony’s wide web of first-party developers astatine State of Play (check retired our predictions here), galore of which haven't released a marque caller crippled successful years.

But it isn’t conscionable fans who are applying unit connected Sony. Sony needs immoderate much deed PlayStation games, information reported connected by Game File’s Stephen Totilo suggests. Totilo said that Sony has sold millions less copies of games it’s either published oregon developed for PlayStation consoles each fiscal twelvemonth since April 2020, which saw a roar successful gaming owed to lockdowns and the merchandise of dense hitters specified arsenic The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima. Last twelvemonth (April 2025 to extremity of March 2026) reversed the inclination with a tiny bump fueled by Ghost of Yotei's release.

So, what has Sony really released implicit the past fractional decade? Well, determination person been immoderate high-profile bombs, including the disastrous live-service crippled Concord. But it’s worthy remembering that done it all, Sony has had a fig of smash hits contempt the wide income fig falling. Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2, for example, remains the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios crippled of each time. Astro Bot mightiness not person sold astatine the aforesaid level, but it was critically acclaimed. Insomniac has released Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2, some of which person sold millions, and Sony Santa Monica released God of War Ragnarök, which was a immense hit. Polyphony released Gran Turismo 7. Guerrilla released Horizon Forbidden West. These are each large launches.

But the information doesn’t lie. As Totilo points out, remakes and remasters, of which Sony has released a fistful successful caller years, haven’t closed the gap. Sony is selling less PlayStation Studios games connected PlayStation consoles, which whitethorn person factored into its determination to propulsion distant from PC and instrumentality to PlayStation exclusivity for its single-player communicative titles.

However, Sony volition beryllium blessed that full PlayStation crippled sales, including income of games from third-party developers and publishers, person risen successful caller years. So overall, it’s a affirmative picture. It’s conscionable that Sony-published games could usage a changeable successful the arm.

The information reinforces the thought that Sony has struggled to merchandise caller PlayStation 5 games this generation. Big caller games person travel out, arsenic we've outlined, but immoderate developers haven’t released marque caller games successful years. Chief among them is Naughty Dog, which is moving connected Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet but hasn’t released a marque caller crippled since the aforementioned The Last of Us Part II six years ago. Gran Turismo 7 came retired arsenic a cross-gen crippled 4 years ago, and continues to person updates, but Polyphony is owed different introduction successful the racing crippled franchise. Bend Studio’s past crippled was 2019’s Days Gone. Media Molecule’s past crippled was 2020’s Dreams.

It’s intolerable to constituent retired the slowdown successful income of first-party Sony games without besides talking astir the galore games it has canceled successful caller years. Sony’s well-documented live-service crippled propulsion resulted successful mega deed Helldivers 2, but The Last of Us Online was canceled, Concord and its developer, Firewalk, was unopen down, and a God of War live-service crippled from Bluepoint didn’t adjacent marque it to announcement earlier it fell by the wayside. Then there’s the canceled Twisted Metal live-service game, and canceled games astatine Sony Bend. Haven Studios' Fairgames is inactive officially successful the works, but whitethorn person been renamed. All those canceled games person surely near a spread successful Sony’s merchandise schedule.

Image credit: Game File.

Not included successful the information are precocious released PlayStation Studios games, specified arsenic Housemarque's Saros, though that appears to person struggled successful income terms, and Bungie's Marathon, which has besides appeared to miss income targets.

And there's crushed to judge the coming years volition spot a futher summation successful PlayStation Studios crippled sales. Sony volition person precocious hopes for Marvel's Wolverine, and Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is definite to bid attention. State of Play volition hopefully soma the lineup out.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].