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• Wed Nov 12 2025

New consoles used to come out every five years ? so where's the PlayStation 6?

1 hour ago Share Save Tom Gerken Technology reporter Share Save

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You used to be able to count the number of years between game consoles on one hand. The original Sony PlayStation came out in the UK in September 1995. Five years later, the PS2 was released and brought with it significant changes. It was a similar story for other consoles but, of late, things seem to have slowed down - which might explain why, as the PS5 hits its fifth anniversary, a potential PS6 is nowhere in sight. According to PlayStation's business boss, Eric Lempel, that's because there's plenty of life in the old dog yet. "I would say we're really hitting our stride now," he told BBC News. Given there remains "a lot of great content" the company is "just going to continue with PS5" he explained. Mr Lempel oversaw the launch of the console, which was plagued by supply chain issues upon its release as a result of a global chip shortage. The supply problems were resolved after three years, and the console has gone on to sell more than 84 million units worldwide. And, as it turns five, he said the title which would become the PS5's biggest seller hadn't even been released yet. "I'm not gonna tell you which one, but I think it's still to come," he said.

Team Asobi PlayStation has had several hits this generation, with 2024 exclusive Astro Bot winning the Game of the Year at the Game Awards

There are plenty of high-profile games in the works. Marvel's Wolverine, made by the same team behind the successful Spider-Man series, is set for a 2026 release - while Intergalactic, the upcoming game from Uncharted and The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog, is in development. Industry expert Christopher Dring said Naughty Dog's schedule went some way to explain why consoles were lasting longer - because it takes more time to make games for them than it used to. "During the PS3 generation, Naughty Dog released four games," he said. "During the PS4 generation, that dropped to three games - so far during the PS5 generation, it's not released one. "Games are taking so much longer to make that, in some cases, their development schedules are longer than it takes new hardware to come out." And he said this story was repeated "across the industry", with Grand Theft Auto 6 - which will be on both PlayStation and Xbox - recently delayed to November 2026. But if the big hitters are coming more slowly, Mr Dring said, another factor might also explain the longevity of a console like the PS5 - gamers are more willing to try new things. "We're seeing on average people are playing 50% more games than they did last generation, and they're really branching out to different types of games," he said. "They'll play the hits, but they'll also play smaller games or unique games that they've never heard of before."

LocalThunk The indie poker-like game Balatro was a surprise hit in 2024, winning several awards despite being made by a single person.

One of the reasons the firm may not rush to unveil new hardware is the PS5 remains ahead of its rivals, outselling Microsoft's Series X and S consoles - at least in the home console space. The same can't be said when it comes to handholds though. The Nintendo Switch - a handheld console which connects to a TV to play games on a big screen - is the third-best selling console in history. Its sequel the Switch 2, which released in June 2025, has already sold 10 million units in its first few months. It's not a fight PlayStation is giving up though. "We're always about new innovation in the category," Mr Lempel said. The success of Nintendo's hardware perhaps inspired Sony to release the PlayStation Portal, an accessory which lets you stream from a PS5 you already own.

Getty Images Unlike a bespoke handheld console, the PlayStation Portal cannot download games onto the device - it just displays games you stream.