PlayStation 5 Console Sales in Japan Are Good, but PS5 Exclusive Titles Are Underperforming

The first year of launch has been hit and miss for Sony’s PlayStation 5. While the company garnered tons of attention towards the new release, it was unable to keep up with the demand for the console. As a result of a conductor chip shortage, the PS5 is unavailable in most countries.

Now that the supply of the console is increasing in Japan, the PS5 is showing an increase in sales figures. An article posted by Japanese magazine Famitsu reveals some stats regarding the PS5. It has recently overtaken the PS4 and PS Vita in terms of hardware units sold. However, it still lags behind the impressive numbers boasted by the Nintendo Wii U.

Currently, the sales stand as:

1. Switch – 61,467 (16,365,857)
2. Switch Lite – 13,610 (3,903,023)
3. PlayStation 5 – 13,905 (698,420)
4. PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 1,441 (136,725)
5. Xbox Series X – 3,141 (39,326)
6. PlayStation 4 – 667 (7,792,802)
7. Xbox Series S – 543 (13,185)
8. New 2DS LL (including 2DS) – 481 (1,166,100)

Watch this story: Best-selling games of all time

PlayStation games sales lag behind console sales

While console sales seem to be picking up for the PlayStation the sales of physical games in Japan are struggling. The latest installment of the nostalgic Ratchet and Clank series titled Rift Apart could only muster 14,663 units. This is concerning given the amount of promotion the game received.

Furthermore, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade managed to sell just 20,889 units and Guilty Gear Strive’s next-gen version sold just 11,722 units. To put this into perspective, one of the newest Nintendo titles Game Builder Garage, sold 71,241 units.

The top-selling games are:

1. Game Builder Garage (Nintendo, 06/11/21) – 31,487 (102,728)
2. Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo, 10/18/19) – 13,005 (2,640,913)
3. Minecraft (Microsoft, 06/21/18) – 12,316 (2,007,544)
4.  Miitopia (Nintendo, 05/21/21) – 12,184 (159,586)
5.  Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! (Konami, 11/19/20) – 10,393 (2,233,900)
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 04/28/17) – 8,957 (3,880,206)
7. Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom, 03/26/21) – 7,787 (2,265,122)
8.  Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo, 02/12/21) – 7,732 (784,047)
9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo, 12/07/18) – 6,656 (4,312,498)
10. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo, 03/20/20) – 6,094 (6,801,696)

Although these figures are concerning for PlayStation, they do not take into account the sale of digital copies of the game. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic began, people have shifted their preference from physical games to digital ones purely due to the added safety and convenience.

What do you think is the main reason for this reduction in PS5 software sales? Let us know in the comments down below.

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