Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were approximately 128 million active Nintendo Switch users worldwide, unchanged from the 128 million Nintendo accounts who had played Nintendo Switch games one or several times during the previously measured 12 month period. The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular gaming consoles worldwide with over 152 million lifetime unit sales.

In 2020, Fortnite was the leading console game title based on number of monthly active users (MAU) worldwide on Xbox and PlayStation. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was the Nintendo Switch title with the biggest monthly active audience during the measured period.

First launched in June 2017 on the Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's cross-platform gaming subscription service, which allows users to play online multiplayer, access a rotating library of games, and other services, depending on the subscription tier. Xbox Game Pass reported 34 million subscribers in February 2024. The overall reach of the Microsoft Xbox Network was an estimated 120 million monthly active users. A constantly evolving product With the multiplayer subscription service Xbox Live Gold already being a part of the online gaming experience on the Xbox One console, Microsoft introduced a separate on-demand subscription service for gaming content, known as Xbox Game Pass, in the second half of the console’s lifecycle. In April 2019, Microsoft also introduced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles Game Pass with an Xbox Live Gold subscription. This higher-priced tier also includes EA Play, a subscription service for video games published by Electronic Arts. EA Play has been live in several iterations, known as Origin Access on PC and EA Access on consoles. In November 2020, EA Play was integrated into the XBox Game Pass Ultimate and instantly doubled its user reach. Expanding the content library via strategic acquisitions At launch, the Xbox One platform, and subsequently the Xbox Game Pass, have frequently been criticized for the lack of platform-exclusive releases. Compared to the PlayStation or Nintendo Switch, there were fewer major first- or third-party exclusives, and several flagship Microsoft exclusives also underperformed or were delayed or cancelled.To remedy this, Microsoft began to realign its first party studios first into unified Microsoft Studios (2017) and then rebranded this collection of gaming studios into Xbox Game Studios (2019). Since 2019, Microsoft has made several key acquisitions (Double Fine, InXile Entertainment, Ninja Theory, Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games) before making a big splash with their 7.5 billion U.S. dollar purchase of holding company ZeniMax Media in March 2021. ZeniMax’s portfolio of gaming studios includes Bethesda Game Studios (maker of Fallout, The Elder Scolls, and the upcoming Starfield), id Software (developer of Doom, Quake, and the Rage series), Arkane Studios, MachineGames, and Tango Gameworks. It was Microsoft’s most high-profile gaming acquisition until the announcement of its intended purchase of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for an eye-watering 69 billion U.S. dollars in January 2022. As of June 2023, the blockbuster deal is still up for regulatory approval due to concerns about industry consolidation and its impact on consumer choice.

With nearly 69 million units sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the top-selling Nintendo Switch game based on lifetime sales as of June 2025. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ranked eighth with over 21 million sales, which is even more impressive considering that the title was only released in May 2023. Nintendo Switch The Nintendo Switch is one of the most sought-after video game consoles worldwide. First launched in 2017 by Japanese gaming powerhouse Nintendo, the Switch has generated global buzz for its unique hybrid design that allows players to switch from stationary console to handheld device whenever they want. As of December 2024, Nintendo Switch unit sales surpassed 150 million, and with new games entering the playing field each year, the Switch continues to give competitors such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S a run for their money. Super Mario phenomenon Super Mario is perhaps the most recognizable character in the entire gaming universe. Equipped with his signature blue dungarees and handlebar mustache, the loveable plumber has become so popular that at least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console and handheld for over three decades. As of 2024, Mario remained one of the best-selling video game franchise worldwide, raking only behind Tetris and Pokémon. Looking at the most successful Mario video game of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also overtaken cult classic Super Mario Bros. for the original NES console.

First launched in 2002, the Xbox Network is an online multiplayer service associated with Microsoft’s Xbox line of consoles. As of December 2022, Microsoft's online gaming service had approximately 120 million monthly active users, up from just under 40 million at the beginning of 2016. The service was known as Xbox Live before rebranding into Xbox network in March 2023 and to differentiate it from the Xbox Live Gold subscription service offering.

Xbox Live perks Xbox network is available as a free service, but it also has a paid tier called Xbox Live Gold. Many of the key features that gamers look for in the service, such as online gaming and access to exclusive games, are restricted to the Gold service. The Gold service also includes a Games with Gold program, in which gamers are offered access to digital downloads of games every month. Xbox One gamers have access to two games every month, with the cumulative retail value of these games reaching a combined 712 U.S. dollars throughout 2022.

 King of the consoles? The Xbox Series S/X is the current generation of Xbox consoles and competes neck-to-neck with Sony's PlayStation 5 which were both released in November 2020, as well as the Nintendo Switch console which was launched in March 2017. When looking North American sales, the Xbox Series S/X has already surpassed the Nintendo Wii U and the Dreamcast but still is lagging behind the PlayStation 5. Additionally, the majority of Xbox gaming revenue is not derived from hardware sales but through gaming content and service sales.

Sony sold a total of 2.8 million PlayStation 5 gaming consoles in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2024. Sales of PlayStation consoles generally tend to peak in the company’s third fiscal quarter, which is the fourth calendar quarter, as people begin to prepare for the holiday season. PlayStation Sony’s PlayStation line of gaming consoles ranks as one of the most successful console brands of all time – five of its products ranking among the top ten highest selling consoles in history. The PlayStation 2 ranks at the top of this list with over 157 million units sold, while the more recent PS4 ranks fourth, generating an additional 113 million unit sales throughout its lifetime. The online entertainment network associated with the consoles is called the PlayStation Network, and as of March 2024, had around 118 million active users. Gaming Consoles The console gaming industry is dominated by three major brands: Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Sony’s PlayStation 5 sold about 21.8 million units in 2023 and ranks as one of the market’s most popular products alongside the Nintendo Switch. Microsoft’s Xbox X/S Series was released in the same year, when it sold over three million units.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020. The simulation game allows players to build up a community from scratch on a deserted island. The Nintendo title was a roaring success, selling more digital copies - five million - in a single month than any other console game in history. Currently, lifetime sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons sit at 48.19 million units.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Nintendo generated just over 419 billion Japanese yen (2.8 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue in the United States alone. This accounted for over a third of its annual revenues, making the U.S. the largest market for Nintendo. Europe followed, where Nintendo generated nearly three billion U.S. dollars in sales revenue. Overall, Nintendo’s total revenue for FY 2025 was just over 7 million U.S. dollars, marking a decrease of around four million U.S. dollars compared to the previous year. This continues a trend of declining revenue that began after reaching a decade high of around 16 billion U.S. dollars in FY 2021. Nintendo Switch tops the market The Nintendo Switch has been a major revenue driver for the company, accounting for over 94 percent of Nintendo’s revenue in that year. Since its launch in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold nearly 130 million units and has consistently outperformed other current-generation consoles in global sales each year, up until 2022. Nintendo’s game consoles have always enjoyed global popularity, with three of its consoles ranking among the top 5 best-selling game consoles of all time. Notably, Nintendo is the only company to have a current-generation console among the top- 5 all-time best-selling game consoles. Nintendo games leading global sales When it comes to game titles, Nintendo boasts three of the top- ten best-selling console games of all time. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 55 million units, leading the pack as the top-selling Nintendo Switch game based on lifetime sales as of June 2023. Hot on its heels are Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the best-selling Nintendo titles in FY 2023 with 22 million units sold since their release in 2022. Other popular titles include Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and The Legend of Zelda, each contributing significantly to Nintendo’s success. Overall, Nintendo sold more than 235 million units of software for its Nintendo Switch gaming console in FY 2022 alone.

The Sony PlayStation 5 was the best-selling video game console worldwide in 2024, selling over 19.65 million units across the globe, having successfully overtaken the Nintendo Switch console in annual unit sales in 2023. The modern-day console wars While the term “console wars” was originally coined to describe the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo in the video game market during the 1980s and 1990s, the modern usage refers to the battle for supremacy between the PlayStation and Xbox brands. The most recent battle between these console giants has been fought out between their eight-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. However, while PlayStation 4 sales in Europe reached more than 45 million units alone, Microsoft’s global Xbox One Sales are yet to reach 60 million units worldwide. This duel has also turned into a three-way battle thanks to the enormous success of Nintendo’s hybrid video game console, the Nintendo Switch. Despite being released over three years later than its rivals, Switch global sales have already reached over 130 million units worldwide, with over a third of the regional console sales occurring in North America. The future of console gaming This fight for supremacy shows no signs of slowing down with the next battle of the console wars upon the horizon. Following years of speculation, both Sony and Microsoft released their next-generation consoles in the lead up to the 2020 holiday season as PlayStation 5 and Xbox S respectively. Sony continues to have the upper hand, as sales of its PlayStation 5 hit over 38 million units as of 2022. In comparison, estimates have Microsoft’s Xbox X/S Series sales at around 21 million units as of April 2023.

Since its release in November 2020, the Xbox Series X and Series S has sold well over 32 million units worldwide. In 2024, the Xbox X/S sold approximately 4.79 million units. The modern-day console wars While the term “console wars” was originally coined to describe the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo in the video game market during the 1980s and 1990s, the modern usage refers to the battle for supremacy between the PlayStation and Xbox brands. The most recent battle between these console giants has been fought out between their eight-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. However, while the PlayStation 4 has sold over 45 million units in Europe alone, Microsoft’s console is yet to reach 60 million unit sales worldwide. This duel has also turned into a three-way battle thanks to the enormous success of Nintendo’s hybrid video game console, the Nintendo Switch. Despite being released over 3 years later than its rivals, the console has already racked up over 140 million unit sales worldwide, approximately a quarter of which were in North America. The future of console gaming This fight for supremacy shows no signs of slowing down, with the next battle of the console wars upon the horizon. Sony continues to have the upper hand, as sales of its PlayStation 5 reached 20 million in 2023. In comparison, estimates have Microsoft shipping 3.1 million units of its Xbox Series X in 2023.

In 2023, the unit sales of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S video game consoles amounted to nearly 7.5 million units, decreasing considerably from just above the 8.65 million units sold in the previous year. Xbox X/S’s predecessor, the Xbox One, was put to market in 2013 and sold roughly 58 million units in total until the end of its lifespan in 2020. Xbox Designed by Microsoft, Xbox is a series of video game consoles including the original Xbox, Xbox 360 and the newest Xbox One. Respectively belonging to the sixth, seventh, and eighth generations of video game consoles, the Xbox consoles established Microsoft’s standing in the video game industry, with Sony and Nintendo as the other two major competitors. The latest Xbox models Series X and S were released in November 2020, two days before the release of PlayStation 5. They became the first Xbox consoles to offer 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second and introduced a new wireless controller to the lineup. Console Gaming Since the release of the world’s first gaming console in 1972, the Magnovox Odyssey, the console gaming industry has exploded in popularity and become a massive global industry. Modern consoles regularly sell tens of millions of units throughout their lifespan, as players from around the world compete in everything from virtual sports to medieval fantasies. In 2023, Sony’s Playstation 5, Nintendo’s Switch and the Xbox Series X/S were the highest-selling game consoles worldwide, each selling millions of units annually.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Pokémon Home generated approximately 840,000 downloads to mobile devices worldwide. Released in February 2020, Pokémon Home is a cloud service for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices designed as a place where players can store Pokémon from different, compatible games.

The PlayStation 2 was first released in 2000 in response to Sony's hugely popular original PlayStation. The PS2 has become the best-selling video game console of all time. As of May 2025, it had sold over *** million units worldwide. The latest PlayStation 5 console has sold over ***million units as of the most recently measured period. Nintendo's Switch is the only current-generation console among the five best-selling consoles of all time, with over *** million units. PlayStation console history PlayStation is a Japanese video game brand produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of the Sony Corporation. The PlayStation video game console is the most widely known product under the PlayStation umbrella. The first-generation PlayStation console was released in Japan in December 1994, and worldwide the following year. Since then, Sony has released a further four generations of video game consoles - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and the latest PlayStation 5 which was released in November 2020. Sony has also released two handheld video game consoles: the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation Vita. Nintendo console history Nintendo registers three devices in the top five for all-time sales of video game consoles. Nintendo released its first series of home consoles in 1977 with the Color TV-Game. In 1983, the company released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a console that has recorded close to ** million lifetime sales globally. This was followed by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo 64 (N64), and Nintendo GameCube, respectively. In 2006, Nintendo released the Wii, the popular home console with motion control features. Nintendo’s latest home console, the Nintendo Switch, was first released in 2017.

As of June 2025, **************** was the most popular gaming subscription service worldwide, with over **** million subscribers worldwide. Second-ranked ********************** and ************** had 34 million global subscribers, respectively. Cloud gaming and gaming subscriptions services have grown in popularity in recent years, headed by the almost obligatory use for console gamers as many experiences, such as online multiplayer, require such a subscription. PlayStation Plus is constantly evolving Currently, Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service exists as a paid-only membership service with three different tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium. The key benefits of free monthly games, multiplayer access, discounts, and cloud storage are applied to all levels. However, the more expensive tiers also have free access to a gaming catalog of PS4 and PS5 games, as well as classic PS1 to PS3 games and cloud streaming access for select gaming titles. According to PlayStation gamers in 2022, the main reason they subscribed to PlayStation Plus was the online multiplayer, followed by the monthly free games gifted to subscribers. In 2022, the retail value of video games offered for free to PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers amounted to over 1,300 U.S. dollars. Xbox Game Pass has been making moves Microsoft has been aggressively bulking up the offerings of its Xbox Game Pass. On January 18, 2022, the company announced plans to acquire gaming company Activision Blizzard and to begin integrating Activision's catalog of games into Game Pass. The acquisition has not been completed yet, as it is still under regulatory review in several countries. According to a gamer survey in the United States, it was found that the inclusion of certain Activision Blizzard gaming franchises was likely to make them subscribe to Xbox Game Pass. Particularly best-selling shooter Call of Duty was the title most likely to cause non-subscribing gamers to subscribe to the service.

In the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024, Sony Corporation sold approximately 2.8 million PlayStation 5 gaming consoles. Nonetheless, Sony sold a record number of PS5 units in FY 2023, with 20.8 million units sold. This brings the total of sold PS5 units globally to nearly 78 million units. The PS5 console was launched in November 2020 with the first- and second-year shipments hampered by supply chain delays. PlayStation 5 leading unit sales From the original PlayStation to the PlayStation 5, Sony’s consoles have continuously revolutionized gaming by introducing iconic franchises, pushing technological boundaries, and shaping the industry. The company’s PS2 remains the best-selling game console of all time. In 2023, Sony sold nearly 21.8 million PS5 units globally, overtaking the Nintendo Switch’s position as the top-selling console in previous years by over 5 million units, while selling more than the number of consoles from Xbox. Sony XR Beyond the PlayStation console, Sony released an updated virtual reality (VR) headset in 2023; PlayStation VR2, allowing players a new immersive VR experience in select popular PS games. Impressively, Sony’s VR headset has already carved a strong market share for itself in the global extended reality (XR) market.

Since its release in November 2020, the Xbox Series X and Series S has sold well over ** million units worldwide. In 2025, the Xbox X/S sold approximately 1.28 million units. The modern-day console wars While the term “console wars” was originally coined to describe the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo in the video game market during the 1980s and 1990s, the modern usage refers to the battle for supremacy between the PlayStation and Xbox brands. The most recent battle between these console giants has been fought out between their eight-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. However, while the PlayStation 4 has sold over 45 million units in Europe alone, Microsoft’s console is yet to reach 60 million unit sales worldwide. This duel has also turned into a three-way battle thanks to the enormous success of Nintendo’s hybrid video game console, the Nintendo Switch. Despite being released over 3 years later than its rivals, the console has already racked up over *** million unit sales worldwide, approximately a quarter of which were in North America. The future of console gaming This fight for supremacy shows no signs of slowing down, with the next battle of the console wars upon the horizon. Sony continues to have the upper hand, as sales of its PlayStation 5 reached ** million in 2023. In comparison, estimates have Microsoft shipping *** million units of its Xbox Series X in 2023.

First released in November 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the first installments in the ninth generation of Pokémon video games. During the launch weekend, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold over ten million units worldwide, including over four million copies in Japan alone. During the quarter ending March 2025, lifetime Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sales amounted to 27.15 million units, making it one of the best-selling Switch games of all time. Premium Pokémon games on Switch Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are not the only Pokémon titles for the Nintendo’s Switch – as of 2025, there were 12 Pokémon games available on the hybrid console, including new mainline games, remakes, and free-to-play titles. The biggest Pokémon games on the Nintendo Switch console are Let’s Go, Pikachu / Eevee, a remake of the original Pokémon Yellow, as well as the first new mainline release Pokémon Sword & Shield (2019), which ranks among the best-selling Switch titles of all time. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, which were released in 2021, are remakes of the popular Diamond & Pearl for Nintendo DS and also rank among the best-selling Pokémon games ever. The 2022 release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus was another successful entry in the series, which featured many changes from traditional Pokémon gameplay mechanics. Free-to-play Pokémon games on Switch Apart from the mobile AR success that is Pokémon GO, the series has generally been known for its premium titles. However, in recent years, Nintendo has experimented with free-to-play titles (F2P), some of which are also available via console. Pokémon Café ReMix (2020), a puzzle café game, and Pokémon Quest (2018) are available for free from the Nintendo eShop. Another F2P entry is Pokémon UNITE, a MOBA title also available on mobile. Pokémon UNITE saw some success in the eSports segment and is also part of the invitation-only Pokémon World Championships.