GamerXZenith
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When the PS5 Pro launched just in time for the holidays last year, it had people excited.
The upgraded console had only been announced a couple of months prior to that in a 9-minute presentation on PlayStation’s YouTube channel, so for many it was a welcome surprise.
It then hit the market at a somewhat reasonable $700 and experienced (from what we’re told) good initial sales.
This was to be expected, with the PS5 Pro being a significant improvement on the original PlayStation 5/PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, as well as 2023’s PlayStation 5 Slim.
But if you fast forward almost 1 year later, the PS5 Pro has arguably failed to deliver, and it seems as though the initial excitement surrounding the console has gotten completely lost.
Recently, though, Mat Piscatella, the Senior Director at Circana, shared some insight on the Bluesky social media platform:
“LTD Pro accounts for a low single-digit percentage of total PS5 sales.”
Based on this information alone, we can estimate that the PS5 Pro has sold less than 1.5 million units, which in the eyes of Sony will be nothing short of a disappointment.
When you look at the actual console, it is by far the most powerful on the market. And for those willing to splash the cash, they get:
An upgraded GPU
Doubled the storage at 2TB
AI-powered PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)
Not to mention, there are also around 50 upgraded games on the PS5 Pro so far, making it pretty decent bang for your buck if you’re a hardcore gamer who wants better graphic processing power and extra storage space for your games.
Whether you personally believe it’s a good value console or not, though, the PS5 Pro has, at least so far, failed to live up to expectations.
A lot of it has to do with the whole add-on controversy, which quickly became a meme on social media and saw the PS5 Pro get clowned on for those first few months.
Simply put, gamers and Sony-ites were not happy at the disc drive and vertical stand for the PS5 Pro being sold separately, with the disk drive alone priced at around $80.
The memes, unsurprisingly, started flooding in, poking fun at what many deemed to be Sony’s attempt at exploiting its user base in a similar style to what we’ve seen from the likes of Apple.
Again, this didn’t help matters for Sony, as many people were already put off by the $700 price tag, so selling key add-ons separately made it an uphill battle from the get-go, hence why sales appear to have slowed down for the latest variation of the PlayStation 5.
As hard as it is to believe for a console well over a decade old now, the PS4 has such a place in people’s hearts that most are still unwilling to move on from it.
And the fact that the 9th Generation of consoles never really got off the ground (if you remember, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S both dropped during the COVID era, swamped by supply chain issues and scalpers) has led millions of gamers to simply stick with what they have.
Perhaps most interesting of all is that PS5 Pro sales have fallen behind the PS4 Pro’s pace in the US, selling significantly less than the previous incarnation.
In terms of mid-gen refreshes, the PS4 Pro performed much better, and Sony must be scratching its head as to why the PS5 Pro isn’t doing as well as they expected.
The traditional ‘buy a game for $60 and play it for a few months’ video game model we’ve known for so long is, from the outside looking in, changing.
Plenty of players have now switched to PC or mobile to get their gaming fix, as there are countless free-to-play (F2P) games on those platforms that are helping to drag consumers away from consoles.
Then there are other trends, too, such as the recent sweepstakes gaming phenomenon as well as the growing popularity of cloud gaming, making it hard for traditional consoles to maintain the dominance they once had.
Smartly, the people at Sony appear to be aware of how much the video game industry is changing, and the company is already starting to plan and adapt.
The current US economy has got people holding a much tighter grip on their wallets, so spending $700 on a console upgrade is not a priority for most gamers at the moment, especially those who already own a PlayStation 5 or are still using one of the old PS4 models.
The latest research from Circana found that young Zoomers are spending nearly 25% less (per week) on video games than they were in 2024, which tells a story itself.
People are cutting back in huge numbers, which is why Sony’s decision to release a $700 updated version of the PlayStation 5 right at the end of the console’s lifecycle is questionable.
With this in mind, it seems like a big chunk of gamers are more content saving their money for the next generation rather than spending it on the PS5 Pro, and you can’t blame them.
This is why it’s incredibly unlikely that the PS5 will suddenly experience an uptick in sales, or even get close to the heights Sony probably expected it to reach.
One thing for sure is that current generation of consoles have had a bumpy ride, despite the PS5 finally surpassing the PS4 in terms of monthly players for the first time in 2025 (PS5 sales have, indeed, also caught up to the PS4, although it took close to a half a decade for it to happen).
So, is the PS5 Pro actually worth getting?
If you’ve got some extra money on the side, sure.
It is, after all, an excellent console from a technical point of view, despite not really delivering in terms of excitement or sales.
But if you’re on the fence and unsure about it, we recommend waiting until the PS6 eventually gets announced over the next year or so.
The upgraded console had only been announced a couple of months prior to that in a 9-minute presentation on PlayStation’s YouTube channel, so for many it was a welcome surprise.
It then hit the market at a somewhat reasonable $700 and experienced (from what we’re told) good initial sales.
This was to be expected, with the PS5 Pro being a significant improvement on the original PlayStation 5/PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, as well as 2023’s PlayStation 5 Slim.
But if you fast forward almost 1 year later, the PS5 Pro has arguably failed to deliver, and it seems as though the initial excitement surrounding the console has gotten completely lost.
The PS5 Pro Only Accounts for Extremely Low Number of Total PS5 US Sales
Sony has kept the lid tight on the PS5 Pro’s recent sales performances.Recently, though, Mat Piscatella, the Senior Director at Circana, shared some insight on the Bluesky social media platform:
“LTD Pro accounts for a low single-digit percentage of total PS5 sales.”
Based on this information alone, we can estimate that the PS5 Pro has sold less than 1.5 million units, which in the eyes of Sony will be nothing short of a disappointment.
When you look at the actual console, it is by far the most powerful on the market. And for those willing to splash the cash, they get:
An upgraded GPU
Doubled the storage at 2TB
AI-powered PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)
Not to mention, there are also around 50 upgraded games on the PS5 Pro so far, making it pretty decent bang for your buck if you’re a hardcore gamer who wants better graphic processing power and extra storage space for your games.
Whether you personally believe it’s a good value console or not, though, the PS5 Pro has, at least so far, failed to live up to expectations.
The Add-On Controversy
In the gaming space, not many people are talking about what is (technically) the best console on the market, telling us there’s something that’s not quite clicked with consumers.A lot of it has to do with the whole add-on controversy, which quickly became a meme on social media and saw the PS5 Pro get clowned on for those first few months.
Simply put, gamers and Sony-ites were not happy at the disc drive and vertical stand for the PS5 Pro being sold separately, with the disk drive alone priced at around $80.
The memes, unsurprisingly, started flooding in, poking fun at what many deemed to be Sony’s attempt at exploiting its user base in a similar style to what we’ve seen from the likes of Apple.
Again, this didn’t help matters for Sony, as many people were already put off by the $700 price tag, so selling key add-ons separately made it an uphill battle from the get-go, hence why sales appear to have slowed down for the latest variation of the PlayStation 5.
Millions Still on the PlayStation 4
While all of this has been going on, the PlayStation 4 is still booming.As hard as it is to believe for a console well over a decade old now, the PS4 has such a place in people’s hearts that most are still unwilling to move on from it.
And the fact that the 9th Generation of consoles never really got off the ground (if you remember, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S both dropped during the COVID era, swamped by supply chain issues and scalpers) has led millions of gamers to simply stick with what they have.
Perhaps most interesting of all is that PS5 Pro sales have fallen behind the PS4 Pro’s pace in the US, selling significantly less than the previous incarnation.
In terms of mid-gen refreshes, the PS4 Pro performed much better, and Sony must be scratching its head as to why the PS5 Pro isn’t doing as well as they expected.
Changing Player Habits
Sony can’t take all the blame.The traditional ‘buy a game for $60 and play it for a few months’ video game model we’ve known for so long is, from the outside looking in, changing.
Plenty of players have now switched to PC or mobile to get their gaming fix, as there are countless free-to-play (F2P) games on those platforms that are helping to drag consumers away from consoles.
Then there are other trends, too, such as the recent sweepstakes gaming phenomenon as well as the growing popularity of cloud gaming, making it hard for traditional consoles to maintain the dominance they once had.
Smartly, the people at Sony appear to be aware of how much the video game industry is changing, and the company is already starting to plan and adapt.
A Tough Economy Has Led to Tighter Spending
There’s also a struggling economy on top of all this.The current US economy has got people holding a much tighter grip on their wallets, so spending $700 on a console upgrade is not a priority for most gamers at the moment, especially those who already own a PlayStation 5 or are still using one of the old PS4 models.
The latest research from Circana found that young Zoomers are spending nearly 25% less (per week) on video games than they were in 2024, which tells a story itself.
People are cutting back in huge numbers, which is why Sony’s decision to release a $700 updated version of the PlayStation 5 right at the end of the console’s lifecycle is questionable.
Next-Gen Consoles Set for 2026 and 2027, So PS5 Pro Sales Unlikely to Increase
Let’s not forget that the 10th Generation is just around the corner, with the PlayStation 6 expected to release sometime in 2026 or 2027.With this in mind, it seems like a big chunk of gamers are more content saving their money for the next generation rather than spending it on the PS5 Pro, and you can’t blame them.
This is why it’s incredibly unlikely that the PS5 will suddenly experience an uptick in sales, or even get close to the heights Sony probably expected it to reach.
One thing for sure is that current generation of consoles have had a bumpy ride, despite the PS5 finally surpassing the PS4 in terms of monthly players for the first time in 2025 (PS5 sales have, indeed, also caught up to the PS4, although it took close to a half a decade for it to happen).
So, is the PS5 Pro actually worth getting?
If you’ve got some extra money on the side, sure.
It is, after all, an excellent console from a technical point of view, despite not really delivering in terms of excitement or sales.
But if you’re on the fence and unsure about it, we recommend waiting until the PS6 eventually gets announced over the next year or so.
