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  1. Platforms
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PS5 is the fastest selling console in US history

News
By Hirun Cryer published 12 March 2021

It's also the second best-selling console for February 2021

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(Image credit: Sony PlayStation)
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The PS5 is the fastest-selling games console in US history.

Just below, you can see a report from NPD Group's Mat Piscatella, revealing the PS5's record-breaking sales success. This is after four total months on the market, ranked by the total dollar sales that the console has accumulated in the time on the market so far. That's a pretty astounding feat, especially for a console launching amidst a global pandemic.

US NPD HW - PlayStation 5 ranked as the 2nd best-selling hardware platform in February in both unit and dollar sales. PlayStation 5 is currently the fastest selling hardware platform in U.S. history (total dollar sales after 4 months in market).March 12, 2021

Additionally, it's revealed that the PS5 is the second best-selling console for the month of February 2021. No prizes for guessing which hardware took the crown as the best-seller of February 2021: it's the Nintendo Switch, as Nintendo's handheld device continues to take the market by storm.

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  • Switch 2 with Donkey Kong Bananza art on screen on wood pattern table next to accessories. Nintendo Switch 2 is still the fastest-selling console in US history – though it hasn't beaten the Game Boy Advance
  • Donkey Kong Bananza screenshot shows DK looking shocked, with his hands in the air and eyes popping out of his head. Nintendo Switch 2 outsold by the 5-year-old PS5 by almost 1 million units over the last quarter
  • Mario and Luigi in still from Mario & Luigi: Brothership Nintendo Switch overtakes the DS as Nintendo's best-selling console of all time, and it's closing the gap with the PS2

Elsewhere in the tweet thread, Piscatella reveals that Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury was the best-selling individual game of February 2021. Coming in at second position for the month is Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which continues to sell mega-millions for Activision, while Persona 5 Strikers somewhat surprisingly takes position three on the best-sellers list for the month, jumping ahead of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Madden NFL 21.

In all, it seems as though the PS5 has nothing short of a big success for Sony, since it launched last year in November 2020. Last year, sales of the PS5 in Japan were four times higher than that of the Xbox Series X, and Sony revealed that the console had totalled 4.5 million units sold worldwide by the end of 2020, equaling the launch of the PS4 over seven years ago.

Looking further ahead to the future, Sony has some incredibly lofty goals for the lifetimes sales of the PS5. Last year, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan revealed that the company was expecting the PS5 to surpass 100 million units shipped over the course of its lifecycle, which is no small feat. This would mean shipping 7.6 million units by November 2021 which, all things considered, PlayStation is well on the road to accomplishing.

If you're still trying to place an order for Sony's next-gen console, you can head over to our guide on where to buy a PS5 for a list of retailers with up-to-date stock information.

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Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
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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.

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