PS4 sold more games than Xbox Series X in Europe last year

More PS4 games were sold in Europe in 2023 than Xbox Series X games. 

That's according to sales data from GSD (via GamesIndustry.biz), which reports physical media sales across major European markets. In total, more PS4 games were sold throughout the whole of 2023 than games for the Xbox Series X console were sold in the same period.

However, it's worth pointing out the PS4 saw a drop in overall game sales in Europe compared to the same period the year before in 2022. This means that more Xbox Series X games were sold in 2023 than in 2022, but the total figures still weren't enough to beat PS4 game sales.

Obviously, pointing to Xbox Game Pass is an easy solution to why the Xbox Series X sold fewer games than the PS4. When you can bag Starfield for a month for the equivalent of less than $10, you can see why a lot of people would hop on the subscription service instead of shell out the full $70 for the game.

It's also worth pointing out that, according to the GSD data, only 34% of new games sold in Europe last year were new releases in 2023. The PS4 obviously has a much further-reaching back catalog of games than the Xbox Series X consoles, and when 66% of games sales in 2023 are older games, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the huge PS4 install base would account for a massive amount of these sales.

Perhaps Xbox Series X game sales will pick up again this year, though. Later today, January 18, Xbox is set to hold a Developer Direct presentation, showing off games like Obsidian's Avowed, the Indiana Jones game, and more. If any of these blockbusters launch this year, it could mean great things for the total number of Xbox Series X games shipped on the year as a whole.

Check out our upcoming Xbox Series X games guide for a look ahead at all the other exclusives Microsoft has lined up.