Feature: PS5 Answers ‘Bleakest’ Month with a 22% Upswing in Sales

Image: Push Square

I’ve been reporting on PlayStation since the early PS3 era, and apart from the PSN disruption in 2011, I cannot recall a more challenging month for the brand than September 2026.

PS5’s public perception was at an all-time low, with the effects of a highly covered “blackout” initiative still felt, the termination of Physint (and its resultant takeover by Xbox), a poorly received State of Play, and disappointing reviews for Marvel’s Wolverine.

All of this led our associates at IGN to publish a critical piece: PlayStation’s future has never appeared more grim.

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In spite of all these challenges, PS5 was the sole console to witness an increase in its US sales during September, surpassing the much newer (and more affordable) Switch 2 in units, and achieving its highest share of overall industry dollar sales since May 2025.

PS5 sales increased by 22% year-over-year in units.

I revisited to see if September 2025 was a weak month, making this less impressive. No, it experienced a 10% month-on-month rise compared to August 2025, driven by the launch of Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei.

This all comes after unprecedented price hikes, which resulted in dollar sales for Sony’s console being up a staggering 43% year-over-year with an average retail price of $646.

This raises the question: just how much does the gamer discontent truly affect things?

We already know from Circana’s Mat Piscatella that the previously mentioned “blackout” initiative – where PS5 owners were urged to unplug their devices indefinitely – made “no substantial impact” on US player counts.

Image: Push Square

This is in spite of the protest being extensively reported by key industry outlets like IGN.

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