Sony has reported its strongest quarterly operating profit for the PlayStation division in years, even as PlayStation 5 console shipments declined significantly during the three months ending September 30, 2026.
The company's Game & Network Services division generated ¥1.21 trillion ($7.59 billion) in revenue, representing an 8.6% increase compared with the previous year.
Operating profit rose 83% to ¥220.1 billion ($1.38 billion), supported by stronger software sales, digital purchases and PlayStation Network services.
However, the comparison was partly influenced by ¥49.8 billion in exceptional charges recorded during the same quarter last year, including impairments associated with Bungie.
Excluding those charges, operating profit growth was approximately 29%.
PlayStation 5 Shipments Fall While Game Sales Increase
Sony shipped 2.6 million PlayStation 5 consoles during the September quarter, compared with 4 million units a year earlier.
The 35% decline reduced first half console shipments to 4.2 million units, down from 6.5 million in the corresponding period last year.
Cumulative PlayStation 5 shipments reached 97.9 million units by September 30, 2026.
Despite weaker hardware demand, Sony's software business continued expanding.
| Metric | September quarter result |
|---|---|
| PS5 shipments | 2.6 million, down 35% |
| Full game sales | 88.2 million copies |
| First party game sales | 8.2 million copies |
| Software revenue | ¥708.5 billion |
| Network services revenue | ¥218.3 billion |
| Monthly active players | 127 million |
Digital game revenue increased 23%, while additional content purchases also contributed to growth.
Network services revenue rose 19.5%, supported by PlayStation Plus and advertising.
Marvel's Wolverine Reaches 2.4 Million Sales
Sony also confirmed that Marvel's Wolverine sold 2.4 million copies by November 4, approximately 50 days after its September 15 release.
For comparison, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 sold 2.5 million copies on its opening day, while Ghost of Yōtei reached 3.3 million within 32 days.
Although Wolverine has recorded slower sales, it remains an important release for Sony's first party portfolio.
Following the quarterly results, Sony increased its annual PlayStation revenue forecast from ¥4.54 trillion to ¥4.83 trillion.
Its operating profit forecast also increased from ¥660 billion to ¥700 billion.
The revised guidance reflects stronger expectations for software and services despite declining console shipments.
Sony has not provided additional details about its next generation PlayStation hardware in these results.
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