Sony’s gaming profits rose 83 percent this quarter, even though it shipped 1.4 million fewer PS5 consoles than in the same period a year earlier.
Spending after purchase explains the gap. Sony sold 2.6 million PS5s in Q2 2026, compared with 4 million in the matching quarter last year. Sales of games and PlayStation Network services still grew, lifting revenue 9 percent year-over-year. The soft hardware figure most likely reflects limited supply, with demand for the PS5 still there, and the shortage could deepen when Grand Theft Auto VI launches on Nov. 19.
Software is doing the heavy lifting
Unit sales of games climbed by 9.8 million over the year-ago quarter, counting both first- and third-party releases. Software revenue reached 708.5 billion yen ($4.48 billion), up from 629.3 billion yen ($3.98 billion) in the 2025 period.
The digital share is the number worth tracking. Downloads accounted for 78 percent of full-game software sales, compared with 72 percent a year before. Sony and its players have clashed over digital this year, and the percentage has kept rising anyway.
Network services revenue increased 19.5 percent to 218.3 billion yen ($1.38 billion). Subscription income has nothing to do with how many consoles sit on retail shelves, which goes some way to explaining a profit jump this large in a quarter with falling hardware sales.
Wolverine sales are moving quickly
As of Nov. 4, roughly 50 days after launch, Marvel’s Wolverine had sold 2.4 million copies. Sony’s latest figures put Ghost of Yotei at 3.3 million units since its Oct. 2, 2025 release. Wolverine is nearing that mark in less than two months.
GTA VI could squeeze supply further
Since its June 2020 launch, the PS5 has sold 97.9 million units. It is certain to cross 100 million in the holiday quarter.
The open question is production. GTA VI arrives on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in exactly two weeks, and pre-orders have reportedly hit $750 million already. Tariffs and the RAMaggedon memory crisis have pushed up the PS5’s price and made it harder to buy. Demand for the PS5 Pro is strong enough that some retailers now use lottery systems to keep units away from scalpers.
Sony had earlier said it secured enough memory to keep up with demand. In a more recent message to distribution partners, it reportedly said “temporary market supply constraints and high demand” would continue to limit how many consoles retailers receive until next year.