Chris Kerr, News EditorFebruary 13, 20252 Min ReadImage via SonyAt a GlanceQ3 sales within the Game & Network Services division rose by 16 percent year-on-year to 1.6 trillion yen ($10.4 billion).The PlayStation 5 has now sold 74.9 million units worldwide and is replicating the performance of its predecessor. The number of MAUs across PlayStation platforms rose to a record-breaking 129 million players in December.The PlayStation 5 has achieved 74.9 million lifetime sales following a bumper holiday season.The console shifted 9.5 million units during the third-quarter of the current fiscal year, a significant year-over-year increase on the 4.5 million units sold in Q3 FY23.That upswing follows the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro, which debuted in November 7, 2024. Over 40 percent of people who purchased a PS5 during the quarter were new users, leading to a substantial increase in the number of monthly active users (MAUs)."Cumulative unit sales of PS5 from launch until the end of December are essentially the same level as the cumulative unit sales of PS4 for the same period of time since launch, even though PS5 had a higher price," explained Sony."Furthermore, MAUs after the same amount of time has passed since launch have increased significantly by approximately 1.4 times. This shows that the user base for the PS platform has significantly expanded from the PS4 generation due to the PS5s backward compatibility and our various user engagement initiatives."Quarterly software sales increased to 95.9 million units from 89.7 million units over the same period. Despite that year-on-year upswing, sales of first-party titles actually declined to 11.6 million units from 16.2 million units in Q3.The company said it intends to expand earnings from first-party software next year with the release of Ghost of Yotei and other titles.PlayStation MAUs increased to record levels in December 2024Discussing its wider platform business, Sony said the segment is gathering momentum with PlayStation Plus revenue increasing by 20 percent year-on-year on a U.S. dollar basis. The number of MAUs across PlayStation platforms in December 2024 rose by 5 percent year-on-year to 129 millionthe highest number in PlayStation history.Overall playtime also increased by 2 percent over the same period, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth.All of the above resulted in sales within the Games & Network Services segment (which houses Sony's video game business) rising by 16 percent year-on-year to 1.6 trillion yen ($10.4 billion). Operating income rose by 37 percent to 118 billion yen ($767.2 million) over the same period.It's a performance that has resulted in Sony upgrading its fiscal forecast."Taking into account the results of the quarter, we have revised upward our full-year forecast for sales by 3 percent to 4 trillion 610 billion yen and operating income by 7 percent to 380 billion yen compared with our previous forecast," added the company.Read more about:Financials[Company] PlayStationTop StoriesAbout the AuthorChris KerrNews Editor, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, andPocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like