Despite Boycott Threats, More People Are Playing PS5 Than Ever

Amid threats to boycott PlayStation, it turns out that the number of people playing on the platform is going up. New information from Sony details just how many people are actively accessing their PlayStation 5 consoles every month, and the numbers are impressive.

PlayStation has been in some hot water with its fanbase as of late due to recent announcements and planned changes. The main issue is that gamers are objecting to the plan for PlayStation to stop producing physical games for new titles starting in 2028. This has led to a number of gamers suggesting that a boycott of the platform may be one of the only ways to convince Sony to change its mind.

PlayStation Sees More Users Than Ever

A look at Sony’s financials has revealed that by the end of June, 125 million monthly users were active on the PlayStation platform. That number is impressive enough on its own, but it’s also an increase over the same period of time in 2025. Monthly active users are measured on a quarterly basis, and in 2025, PlayStation saw 123 million active users between April 1 through June 30, so it’s up 2 million users in 2026. It’s a continuing pattern, as Q1 for 2024’s fiscal year saw 116 million active users, while the same period in the 2023 fiscal year only saw 108 million.

It’s worth pointing out that Sony announced that PlayStation would stop producing physical discs for new games starting in 2028 on July 1. In other words, if PlayStation has seen its active monthly users drop as a result of the announcement, those numbers won’t be made public until the next fiscal quarter comes to an end, which will happen on September 30. While many people have been upset and outspoken about the change, it’s difficult to imagine that millions would stop using their PlayStations as a result, and even that would be a mere fraction of what Sony is currently seeing.

This new fiscal report also backs up what industry analysts have said about PlayStation digital versus physical game sales. The report indicates that across the full fiscal year of 2025, 78% of games sold on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms were digital. Between April 1 to June 30, that number was even higher, sitting at 82%. With Sony and game publishers making a significantly higher profit pushing digital games over physical, and numbers like these, it’s easy to see why the decision is being made. The fact that the percentage is so high also shows that even though many are expressing their displeasure, only a small proportion of PlayStation’s active users were actually investing in physical media.

Overall, the financial results that Sony is seeing are so positive that it’s actually changed its forecast for the fiscal year. Previously, it had estimated that the PlayStation gaming division would see somewhere around $3.75 billion USD in operating income between March 31, 2026 through the same date in 2027. It’s now increased that to an eye-watering $4.1 billion. Sony is clearly not budging from its decision, and shy of a huge upset in its earnings or user numbers, that’s unlikely to change.