PS5 Is Best-Selling Game Console Ever Through Five Months

The PS5 has often been almost impossible to find, but that hasn't stopped Sony's new system from selling a whole bunch of units--even if some were going to bots. Through five months, the PS5 is the best-selling game console in US history, both in terms of units sold as well as dollar sales.

The numbers come from the latest NPD report, which showed that compared to last year at the same point, hardware sales are up by nearly 50%. This isn't a huge surprise, given that multiple game consoles launched and this almost always brings a big surge in sales, but it's impressive that Sony has been able to accomplish this feat during a pandemic. Last year, several retailers weren't even offering the PS5 in stores--aside from online order pickup--to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but this didn't seem to be a deterrent for those who wanted the system. However, bots also played a role in buying up supplies and selling them for higher prices, and this will be much, much harder to do once stores are heavily stocking the systems again.

Despite continuing its record-setting pace, the PS5 actually got outsold by the Nintendo Switch in March, both in units and dollars. If you look at the best-selling game for Switch in March, that makes sense. Monster Hunter Rise shot to the top of the Switch sales chart, and it's the only non-Nintendo game on there. Given the massive popularity of Capcom's series, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Switch take the top spot in April, too.

The PS5 has a pretty steady stream of games releasing for it over the next few months, including exclusives like Returnal and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The one area it has, oddly, lost a little value in is sports, as MLB The Show 21 is releasing Xbox and will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. According to Sony, this decision came from MLB itself, as you don't have as much control over these sorts of choices when you're making a licensed game. The game supports cross-play, letting PlayStation and Xbox fans enjoy it together.