More PS5 consoles on sale this year than PS4 in 2013, says PlayStation CEO

(Image credit: Sony PlayStation)

Despite (now debunked reports) that Sony would be slashing PS5 distribution due to a shortage of parts, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says there’ll actually be more consoles on sale at the start of this generation than there were at the beginning of the last one.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Ryan said that Sony will have more PS5 units ready to sell than it had PlayStation 4 units when the last generation kicked off in 2013. To put that in context, one million PS4s were sold on release day, a figure that rose to 2.1 million two weeks after launch.

Deciding whether to commit to early sales wasn’t an easy decision, however. Ryan says that “for quite some time, in the early part of Covid, that picture was far from clear. Just as the supply things [were] unclear, would there be any market? Would anyone be allowed to go outside? Would any shops be open?”

Nevertheless, Sony is said to have decided on its pricing and shipping relatively early - although recent reports claim that the company will be using air shipping rather than sea to ensure that its new console ends up in stores soon enough.

That seems like a sensible idea, as PS5 pre-orders around the world appear to have sold out extremely quickly, with only a few retailers still claiming to have units left to sell. If you haven’t secured one already, you’ll likely be waiting until at least the PS5 release date of November 12 in certain regions, and November 19 in others to get your hands on the new consoles.

How do the PS5's launch titles compare to its predecessors?

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.

Latest in PlayStation
Deltarune
Undertale creator Toby Fox's tomfoolery leaves Deltarune testers thinking an intentional nerf was actually a bug after they "independently" discovered it
Balatro Joker card
After stepping away from Balatro for 3 months, the developer only resumed work "because I was bored but the internet was out so I couldn't play Rocket League"
The titular Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2
Devil May Cry and Bayonetta veteran Hideki Kamiya is still leaning on Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's wisdom at new studio Clovers: "I have always made decisions based on his teachings"
Skate 4
The Skate reboot isn't even out yet, but it already has an EA specialty: microtransactions
Yakuza 0
10 years on, Yakuza 0 is still one of the strongest entry points to a franchise ever made
Palworld
As Palworld studio's publishing branch teases new reveals, its head is "nervous" that "people will just expect more" games like its survival hit
Latest in News
A AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being put into it's socket by a reviewer
AMD's new Ryzen 9 X3D processors launch today, here's the stock I've found so far
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
Deltarune
Undertale creator Toby Fox's tomfoolery leaves Deltarune testers thinking an intentional nerf was actually a bug after they "independently" discovered it
Pokemon Go player trying to catch a Croagunk
Pokemon Go developer Niantic has been bought for $3.5 billion, CEO says it'll help its games be "'forever games' that will endure for future generations"
A Minecraft Movie
Minecraft movie's popcorn bucket is an explosive, game-accurate continuation of a cinema trend that shows no signs of slowing down