Console Sales for the Year Are up 24% in the UK, Thanks to Significant PS5 Boost

It’s been an eventful first quarter of the year, with the first three months of 2023 each bringing major new releases that have enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim. That, as you might expect, has reflected in hardware sales as well- though more so for some hardware than the rest.

As per sales data revealed by the GSD (via GamesIndustry), console sales in the UK in the first three months of 2023 are up 24.2% from the first quarter of 2022, though curiously, all consoles except the PS5 have seen decreased sales. Xbox Series X/S sales are down 18% year-on-year, while Nintendo Switch sales are down 25%.

The PS5 has more than made up for that with its massive increase, however. With stock shortages for the console finally having eased up significantly in recent months, it saw a boost of 180% year-on-year in the first three months of the year.

In the month of March, 138,000 consoles were sold in the UK, with the PS5 leading the pack, followed by the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox Series X/S- though with the exception of the Switch, they all saw slight sales decreases from the month of February, with the PS5 slipping 2% and Xbox Series X/S slipping 10%.

Resident Evil 4 Remake was the best-selling game of the month in the UK, despite its late release- read more on that through here.