PS5 sells 118,000 units in 4 days in Japan; Xbox Series X|S sells 20,000 in 6 days

The numbers first, according to Famitsu, published by Gematsu in November 2020: the PlayStation 5 sold 118,085 units in Japan in its first four days, from November 12 to 15. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, together, sold 20,534 units in their first six days, from November 10 to 15.

To compare with earlier generations, again from Famitsu’s data:

• PlayStation 4: 322,083 units in the first two days (February 22 and 23, 2014);
• Xbox One: 23,562 units in the first four days (September 4 to 7, 2014);
• PlayStation 3: 88,443 units in the first two days (November 11 and 12, 2006);
• Xbox 360: 62,135 units in the first two days (December 10 and 11, 2005).

Translating the jargon: the PS5 sold well below the PS4 in its Japanese debut, but the comparison is misleading. Famitsu itself noted that the PS4 arrived in Japan in February 2014, three months after the United States and Europe, which gave Sony time to build up much more stock. In 2020, the launch was practically simultaneous worldwide, in the middle of a pandemic.

In Microsoft’s case, the result was below even the Xbox One, in a region where the brand has always had a small share. Gematsu also pointed out that most Xbox Series games in Japan were sold only in digital format, so Famitsu did not capture that side.

In games, the PS5’s best sellers of the week were Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, with 18,640 copies, and Demon’s Souls, with 18,607. Both consoles sold out as soon as pre-orders opened, and Japanese stores began selling the units by lottery.

What came next

In September 2021, Sony said it had passed 1 million PS5s sold in Japan. The Xbox Series grew slowly, but it did grow: it passed 116,000 units in Japan in November 2021, surpassing in less than a year everything the Xbox One sold in the country, and reached 400,000 at the end of 2022.

Source: Famitsu, via Gematsu.