PlayStation 5 stock recovery sees European console sales up 200%

PlayStation 5 console sales were up 202 percent across Europe in January 2023, compared to the same month a year ago.

The statistic, per GamesIndustry.biz's Chris Dring, lays bare how well Sony's hardware shipments have recovered - or, depending on how you look at it, how constrained they were back in 2022.

In real terms, all of this means that getting hold of a PlayStation 5 should now be much easier, which is good news all round. Stock of the in-demand console has been limited since its launch in late 2020, and a target for greedy scalpers.

Parts shortages, manufacturing shortages and distribution delays due to the Covid pandemic have all hampered Sony's ability to produce enough PS5 stock to meet demand.

Until now, it appears. In Europe, improved availability for Sony's console saw PS5 as the best-selling console across the continent, ahead of Switch (sales down 11 percent year-on-year) and Xbox Series X/S (sales down 32 percent year-on-year).

Sony recently embarked on a big budget marketing campaign highlighting the fact PS5 was now much less of a faff to get hold of, and plonking items in front of landmarks worldwide, such as a God of War axe by the River Thames.

Sony's latest internal numbers for PS5 show improvements in stock availability aiding sales worldwide. 7.1m PlayStation 5 consoles were sold in the three months ending 31st December 2022, up 83 percent on Christmas 2021. Overall, Sony has now shipped 32m PS5 consoles worldwide in total.

Last year, Sony said it expected PS5 sales to close the gap on PS4 over the course of 2023 and ultimately overtake the sales momentum of its predecessor.