Sony’s next console remains shrouded in uncertainty, even as the PS5 continues to break records.
It looks like players who are looking forward to the release of the PlayStation 6 might have to wait a bit longer. According to a machine-translated report by David Gibson, a senior analyst at MST International who focuses on game and technology companies, “Sony expects the PS5 lifecycle to be longer than that of previous console generations,” and that this could push back the launch of the PlayStation 6 to around 2028.
This was part of Gibson’s Japanese language report that focuses on Sony’s current performance, released ahead of Sony’s third quarter financial report.
Sony focusing on PS5 users over hardware sales
In the report, Sony’s third quarter remains strong and is “expected to beat market expectations which were driven by games produced by Sony and PlayStation, alongside third-party games." This strong performance also comes partly because of a price cut for the PS5 that was implemented over the holidays in Japan.
Gibson also estimates that “Sales for the third quarter are expected to be 1.8 trillion yen (around US$ 11.6 billion) and operating profit is expected to be 160 billion yen (around US$ 1 billion.”
Rising component costs could affect future consoles
In terms of where the growth comes from, Sony seems to be more focused on existing PS5 users at this time than boosting console sales. “PS5 user activity continues to set all-time record highs according to usage data. Sony is focusing more on retaining active users than expanding hardware sales,” Gibson said.
This could be partly because of the rising costs of components, including memory chips. According to a report by CNBC, powerful AI chips made by the likes of Nvidia, AMD and Google are required in such high amounts that “there won’t be enough memory to meet worldwide demand.” This shortage of components would drive the component’s prices up, and would definitely affect the price and availability of consoles.
Gibson predicted that for now, “rising memory prices will not impact short-term performance thanks to Sony’s existing inventory.” However, he noted that increased memory costs could become an issue for Sony in the next fiscal year (ending in March 2027), saying “Sony might pass future cost increases onto consumers.” So for now, Sony could be keeping an eye on the overall situation, about both PS5 hardware and the timing of the PS6 launch.
At the moment, Sony seems to be sticking with the PS5 and PS5 Pro thanks to strong network service profits, healthy game sales, and growing active user numbers. There’s also the console-exclusive release of one of the most highly-anticipated games, Grand Theft Auto VI, due this November 2026, which could spark a surge in console sales all on its own. However, Gibson warned that if Sony waits too long to launch the PS6, “it could create long-term risks.”
In October, Sony’s engineering lead Mark Cerny highlighted several upcoming video game graphics innovations in a video on the official PlayStation YouTube channel. Nearly all of the roughly nine-minute discussion focused on graphics technology advancements that Sony and AMD have been developing over the past two years.
However, towards the end of the video, Cerny casually mentioned a "future console" arriving in "a few years' time." Many interpreted this as a hint that the PS6 could launch in late 2028.
While Sony continues to enjoy strong performance with the PS5, questions remain about the timing of the PS6. Will the extended lifecycle strategy allow the company to maximise revenue without losing momentum, or could delays risk leaving fans waiting too long for an upgrade? And how will rising component costs factor into the next generation of PlayStation hardware?
The next few years may reveal the answers.
