PS5 Monthly Users Reach Record High Despite Boycott Calls

Platform boycotts can create significant pressure when they translate into falling engagement, weaker sales, or declining player activity. Sony’s latest figures suggest that PlayStation is not currently facing that kind of measurable backlash: 125 million monthly active users accessed the platform by the end of June, exceeding the total recorded during the same period a year earlier.

PlayStation Activity Continues to Climb

Sony’s financial report puts PlayStation’s monthly active user count at 125 million for the period ending June 30. That is an increase of 2 million users compared with the 123 million reported between April 1 and June 30, 2025.

The broader trend is also moving upward. PlayStation recorded 116 million monthly active users during the comparable first quarter of fiscal 2024, while the same period in fiscal 2023 produced 108 million. The latest result therefore extends several years of growth rather than representing a single isolated jump.

Boycott Calls Follow the Physical Games Decision

The figures arrive amid anger over Sony’s plan to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games beginning in 2028. The announcement, made on July 1, has prompted some players to argue that refusing to use the platform may be one of the few ways to pressure the company into reconsidering its approach.

However, the June user data predates that announcement. If the controversy has reduced activity, its effect would not appear in Sony’s public figures until the following fiscal quarter ends on September 30. Even then, a decline would need to be substantial before it seriously challenged the platform’s current scale.

Digital Sales Explain Sony’s Direction

Sony’s sales mix helps explain why the company is continuing toward a digital-first model. Across fiscal 2025, digital purchases represented 78% of games sold on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. For the period from April 1 through June 30, the share rose to 82%.

Those numbers do not mean physical games have disappeared, but they show that digital purchases already account for the clear majority of software sales. Since digital releases generally provide stronger margins for Sony and publishers, the commercial incentive behind the 2028 plan remains considerable despite the community response.

Sony Raises Its Gaming Profit Forecast

The company’s confidence is also reflected in its updated outlook. Sony previously expected its PlayStation gaming division to generate approximately $3.75 billion in operating income from March 31, 2026, through March 31, 2027. That forecast has now been raised to $4.1 billion.

Together, the user numbers, digital sales share, and revised earnings outlook indicate that Sony is not yet seeing the kind of financial disruption that would force a change in strategy. The next quarterly report will be the first opportunity to assess whether the physical-media controversy has affected engagement.

Key points

• PlayStation reported 125 million monthly active users by the end of June.
• The total was 2 million higher than during the same period in 2025.
• Digital games accounted for 82% of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 software sales from April through June.
• Sony increased its projected fiscal-year gaming operating income from $3.75 billion to $4.1 billion.

PlayStation user and sales figures

Expert View

The immediate market signal is that boycott rhetoric has not translated into a visible collapse in PlayStation engagement. That does not make the community’s concerns insignificant, particularly for players who value physical ownership, but Sony’s current numbers give it little financial reason to reverse course. The September quarter will matter most: it should provide the first clearer indication of whether the announcement changed user behavior or remained primarily a source of online criticism.