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The UK console market in 2025 told three very different stories. PlayStation held its ground as the clear market leader despite a down year. Xbox posted its worst-ever UK sales figures by a wide margin. And Nintendo’s Switch 2 arrived in June and immediately started outpacing its predecessor’s records.
Here is the full breakdown — with unit figures, market share data, and what it all means heading into 2026.
The UK console hardware market contracted sharply in 2024, falling 24% year-on-year to £723 million. That decline carried into 2025 for PS5 and Xbox, both of which posted lower unit sales than the year before. The wildcard was Nintendo, which launched the Switch 2 in June 2025 and immediately disrupted the downward trend.
The combined UK picture for 2025: PS5 remained the dominant platform at roughly 45–62% market share depending on the period measured. Xbox’s share collapsed. Nintendo’s Switch 2 — launching into a market where Nintendo has historically been weaker than in Japan or the US — surpassed a million UK units faster than any Nintendo console before it.
PlayStation 5 — Still the UK’s Best-Selling Console
Sony’s PS5 had a quieter 2025 than its launch years, but it remained the UK’s top-selling console by a distance. Around 867,300 units were sold in the UK across 2025, down 12% from an estimated 985,587 in 2024. At five years into its lifecycle, a modest decline is expected — the PS4 followed a similar curve at the same point.
| Year | UK Units (est.) | YoY Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ~1.1m | — | Strong supply recovery post-shortage |
| 2024 | ~985,587 | −10% | PS5 Slim launched; market softening |
| 2025 | ~867,300 | −12% | PS5 Pro launched Nov 2024; mid-gen refresh |
Black Friday 2025 was a different story. PS5 captured 62% of UK console hardware sales during that week alone, driven by discounts across the standard PS5 and PS5 Pro models. The PS5 Pro — priced at £699 on launch in November 2024 — had its best sales week outside of its release window after hitting its lowest-ever UK retail price during the Black Friday period.
For context on just how strong the PS5 launch was: the console reached 1 million UK units in 39 weeks, joint fastest ever alongside the Nintendo Wii. That install base means PlayStation remains the default choice for most UK households buying a dedicated home console.
Globally, Sony reported 77.8 million cumulative PS5 sell-through by December 2024. PlayStation Network monthly active users stood at 129 million at the close of Sony’s FY24 Q3 — up from 123 million a year earlier.
Xbox Series X|S — Microsoft’s Worst Year on Record
That 39% decline translates to an estimated 278,500 Xbox Series X|S units sold in the UK across 2025, down from roughly 456,553 in 2024. To put that in perspective: Xbox was already the UK’s second-choice home console before 2025. That gap has now widened considerably.
| Year | UK Units (est.) | YoY Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ~580,000 | — | Series S driving volume |
| 2024 | ~456,553 | −21% | Market share ~22% |
| 2025 | ~278,500 | −39% | Worst year on record; ~10% BF share |
Two price hikes in quick succession hit Xbox hard. The US saw an even steeper decline — Xbox console unit sales in November 2025 reached an all-time low there, with some reports pointing to a 70% year-on-year drop for that month specifically.
Microsoft’s response has been to lean harder into software and subscriptions rather than fight the hardware battle. Game Pass reached 34 million active subscribers across console and PC — up from approximately 25 million at the time of the Activision Blizzard acquisition in October 2023. First-party Xbox titles are now available on PlayStation, effectively treating Xbox console owners as one segment of a larger multiplatform audience.
The longer-term picture for the Xbox hardware business remains unclear. Microsoft’s Xbox content and services revenue was down 5% year-on-year in fiscal Q3 2026. The company no longer discloses console unit shipments at all — Game Pass subscriber numbers are now the official proxy for Xbox’s health as a business.
Nintendo Switch 2 — The Fastest-Selling Nintendo Console in UK History
Nintendo launched the Switch 2 on 5 June 2025 at £395.99 in the UK (£499.99 bundled with Mario Kart World). By the time it reached its first anniversary in June 2026, it had crossed 1 million UK sales — 30 weeks faster than the original Switch managed the same milestone.
That is notable for two reasons. First, the UK has never been one of Nintendo’s strongest markets — the original Switch is the fifth best-selling console in UK history (behind PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, and PS4), despite being the second best-selling of all time globally. Second, 1 million in 52 weeks puts Switch 2 level with the Xbox One, and ahead of every Switch, PS3, and every Xbox model ever sold in the UK.
Fastest
2nd
3rd
4th
Joint 6th
Slowest
Globally, Switch 2 reached 19.86 million lifetime units by 31 March 2026 — 5 million ahead of where the original Switch was at the same point in its launch-aligned trajectory, and 6 million ahead of where PS5 and PS4 were at the same stage.
Nintendo has confirmed a price increase on Switch 2 hardware from September 2026. In Europe the console will rise by €30 to €499.99. The UK price is expected to adjust in line with that. For buyers weighing up a purchase, now is the cheaper window.
UK Black Friday 2025 — The Console Market Snapshot
Black Friday 2025 offered the clearest single-week view of the UK console pecking order. PlayStation dominated, with Nintendo in a strong second and Xbox a distant third.
| Platform | UK BF 2025 Hardware Share | Headline |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 62% | PS5 Pro hit lowest-ever UK price; best week since launch |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | 23% | Strong for a console only 6 months old at that point |
| Xbox Series X|S | 10% | Worst Black Friday performance in Xbox history |
The remaining ~5% covers older hardware, handhelds, and peripheral bundles. The Black Friday split broadly mirrors the full-year picture — PS5 leads by a wide margin, Nintendo is mounting a real challenge, and Xbox is struggling to compete on hardware.
What’s Next for UK Console Sales?
Several factors will shape the UK console market over the next 12–18 months:
- GTA VI (PS5/Xbox, autumn 2026) — the biggest game release in years; likely to push hardware upgrades, particularly on PS5
- Switch 2 price rise (September 2026) — £30 equivalent increase in Europe; may accelerate pre-hike purchases in the UK
- Xbox Dev Direct (January 2026) — Microsoft teased Fable, Forza Horizon updates, and more first-party titles; a strong 2026 game slate is Xbox’s best hope of reversing the hardware decline
- PS6 and next-gen Xbox rumours — industry insiders have suggested RAM supply issues could delay next-generation hardware; no confirmed release windows from either Sony or Microsoft
- Game Pass expansion — with 34 million subscribers, Microsoft’s long-term bet is that software and subscriptions matter more than console unit sales; if Game Pass reaches rival platforms at scale, the Xbox hardware decline becomes less relevant to Microsoft’s bottom line
