Xbox Series X/S console shipments may have hit nearly 36 million by the end of 2024, new analysis indicates.
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Editor’s Note: The data provided below is based on estimates, not confirmed values. The millions of units are also based on sell-in/shipments and not sell-through. Microsoft does not share hardware unit sales data (neither shipments nor sell-through). Only AMD and Sony have delivered confirmed values.
New analysis from Install Base number-cruncher JPB (aka Welfare on YouTube) could shed light on mythical Xbox Series console figures. According to the data provided, Microsoft may have shipped up to 35.9 million Xbox Series consoles from launch to present.
Where did this number come from? Aren’t Xbox Series sales around 25 million?
After all, AMD did just announce that Gen 9 consoles beat 100 million (slide 25). AMD’s marketing director also shared an image showing 100 million AMD consoles sold. And Sony just recently confirmed it shipped 75 million PS5s.
Simple math shows 100 – 75 = 25. So what gives? How can Xbox Series sales be in excess of 25 million?
During the earnings call, AMD CEO Lisa Su actually said that Gen 9 console sales have surpassed 100 million, meaning that shipments beat 100 million. The full quote is accompanied by the marketing director’s image on Twitter:
“Overall, this console generation has been very strong, highlighted by cumulative unit shipments surpassing 100 million in the fourth quarter.”
The numbers we’re about to get into can actually co-exist with AMD’s statement because we don’t know by how much Gen 9 console shipments exceeded 100 million. AMD only confirmed that cumulative unit shipments passed this mark.
This also tracks with the estimated data. Based on the estimates, total Gen 9 console shipments would not have exceeded 100 million until the end of 2024, throughout the October – December holiday period.
Gen 9 console shipments at the end of September 2024:
- Xbox Series – 33.4 million (estimated)
- PlayStation 5 – 65.5 million (confirmed)
Combined, that’s 98.9 million shipments by the end of September (Q3 calendar period), just shy of the 100 million threshold. Sony’s massive 9.5 million PS5-and-PS5 Pro shipment could have pushed total Gen 9 console shipments well past the milestone.
If the numbers are accurate, then total cumulative Gen 9 shipments could have been 110.9 million by the end of 2024.
Now on to the Xbox Series shipment numbers, but before we do, let’s recap. So far we know for certain that A) Sony has shipped 75 million PS5s, and B) Microsoft has shipped at least 25 million Xbox Series consoles.
As for the data itself, Welfare methodically breaks down the numbers on a quarter-by-quarter basis and shows the math used to determine the figures. The method appears to be well-reasoned, thorough, and aligns with predictions made by other sales data firms. It uses data given directly by Microsoft to indirectly glean hardware revenues (see above and below), which are then used against other sales-tracking data to get a better picture of global shipments.
The unit sales information is based on estimates, of course, and can’t be verified.
Based on the data, Xbox Series console shipments could look something like this on a fiscal year basis:
- FY21 – 6.5 million
- FY22 – 9.6 million
- FY23 – 8.7 million
- FY24 – 7.2 million
- FY251H – 3.9 million
- Cumulative total – 35.9 million
As for the “Xbox Series only sold 2 million consoles in 2024” reports, that is debunked in this video.
