PS5 is outpacing PS4 and PS3 sales in Japan

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The new-gen machine is a bit of a sales juggernaut for Sony

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

The PS5 is outpacing both the PS4 and PS3 in sales in Japan.

That's according to MST Financial analyst David Gibson, reporting that the PS5 had crossed three million lifetime sales in Japan as of earlier this week. According to Gibson, the PS5 has now reached three million lifetime sales faster than both the two preceding PlayStation consoles in Japan.

It's been 121 weeks since the PS5 first went on sale in Japan towards the end of 2020. This means the PS5 has beaten the PS4 to three million sales in Japan by 10 weeks, and the PS3 to the same figure by just four weeks. Sony's new-gen console looks to be already breaking records for it in Japan.

According to the MST Financial chart from Gibson above, the PS5 has also now outsold the Nintendo Switch in Japan for six weeks running. The Switch is the true powerhouse console in Japan, an absolute sales juggernaut for over half a decade now, so it's quite the feat for the PS5 to beat it in weekly sales.

Maybe this has all been brought on by Valentine's Day. No, don't laugh - earlier this year Sony ran a bizarre Valentine's Day ad in Japan for the PS5, showing a girl getting a guy a PS5 for the special occasion, which sets up some pretty unreasonable expectations for couples out there.

But hey, with the PS5's new surge in sales in Japan, maybe this ad really did work. I hope not, actually, because as I discussed in that previous article, the implication is there for the guy to get the girl a gift three times the value of the initial presents - in this case, a PS5, a bloody hard feat to top.

Check out our upcoming PS5 games guide for a look at all the upcoming exclusives for the new-gen console.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.