Sony’s PS5 remained the best-selling console in the UK during 2025, holding off fresh competition from Nintendo’s newly launched Switch 2 and widening the gap over Microsoft’s Xbox consoles in what has traditionally been the platform’s strongest European sales market.
According to data from NielsenIQ (via Smitch on the Reset Era forums), a total of 2.1 million game consoles were sold in the UK during 2025, up 6.9% year-on-year, generating £769.6m in revenue, an 11.1% annual increase. However, all of that growth was driven by the mid-year launch of Nintendo’s Switch 2. Sony’s PS5, now in its 6th year on the market, sold just under 900,000 units during the year, generating £345.1m.
While annual sales dipped 16.19% year-on-year, the console still accounted for 45% of total hardware market value, retaining a lead over competitors. In terms of revenue, PS5 sales amounted to more than the combined revenues of both the original Switch and the new Switch 2 in the UK during 2025.
Nintendo’s Switch 2, released halfway through the year, made an immediate impact. From launch onward, 737,000 units were sold, delivering £262m in revenue. The launch was “responsible for all of [the] market growth,” according to the report, underlining how critical the new hardware cycle was in reversing the UK’s broader console slowdown. When combined with 219,000 units of the original Switch (worth £54.1m), Nintendo captured 41% of total hardware market value.
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s consoles endured another difficult year. The Xbox Series X|S sold around 300,000 units in 2025, generating £108.4m, down 29.3% year-on-year. In terms of revenue, Xbox accounted for just 14% of the total market, leaving it a distant third behind both Sony and Nintendo in a market that has been historically significant to the platform within Europe. A recent report has linked the company’s “This is an Xbox” campaign, a marketing pivot that sought to redefine the Xbox brand beyond traditional console hardware, to the continued declines in hardware revenue. Read about it here.
