25 Years Later: PlayStation 2 Still Reigns in 2025 as the Best-Selling Console Ever

For nearly 25 years, the PlayStation 2 (PS2) has held its place as the most successful gaming console ever made, and as 2025 draws to a close, it continues to dominate the charts.

Despite a radically different gaming landscape, multiple generational shifts, and the rise of digital ecosystems, no modern machine has managed to surpass the PS2’s extraordinary global reach. Its final tally of 160.01 million lifetime units sold remains unmatched. Placing it at the top of every hardware ranking to this day.

What makes this moment so interesting is not only the PS2’s enduring position, but the momentum happening beneath it. According to the latest data analyzed by the TechGaged Research Team, 2025 has become a defining year for Sony’s current-generation hardware.

The PlayStation 5 has now reached 82.53 million units worldwide. Making it one of Sony’s fastest-rising consoles and currently the company’s fifth best-selling PlayStation system. In just a few short years, it has moved past multiple classic platforms and now sits just behind the PlayStation Portable. Which grants it a clear path toward overtaking the PlayStation 3 as sales continue to accelerate.

Why This Black Friday Might Rocket the PS5 Into the History Books

This is where the story becomes particularly compelling. The PS5 is entering another holiday season with significant market energy behind it. Also, the upcoming Black Friday period may accelerate that momentum even further.

Retailers across major regions are preparing aggressive bundles and promotional pushes. TechGaged’s projections suggest that this year’s sales spike could position the PS5 to close the gap with the PlayStation 3 sooner than expected.

If demand lands where current forecasts point, the PS5 may end 2025 positioned to become Sony’s second most-sold home console over the long term. Surpassed only by the legendary PS2 itself.

A Clash of Titans: The 150M-Club Consoles That Rule the Industry

Looking beyond Sony’s own lineup, the broader 2025 console rankings highlight an equally intriguing trend. Only three systems in history have crossed the 150-million milestone: PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Switch.

The Switch continues to show impressive longevity. It’s now sitting at 152.34 million lifetime sales, further securing its position as one of Nintendo’s most successful platforms ever. Yet even this exceptional performance still leaves a significant gap between the Switch and the PS2’s monumental total. Illustrating just how far ahead Sony’s second-generation machine remains.

The enduring dominance of the PS2 is not simply nostalgia. Its success was a unique convergence of timing, technology, accessibility, and cultural influence. It bridged the DVD revolution, powered iconic first-party titles, and reached consumers across an unprecedented range of markets. From North America and Europe to the developing world. Two and a half decades later, the effects of that widespread adoption still echo through the industry’s historical data.

PS5’s Story Isn’t Finished. It’s Leveling Up Fast

At the same time, the PlayStation 5 is writing its own chapter in the hardware narrative. It may never touch the PS2’s towering 160-million figure, but it is rapidly becoming one of the most significant consoles of the modern era.

As 2025 wraps up, the question is no longer whether the PS5 will join the ranks of PlayStation’s biggest successes, that milestone is already secured. The real question now is how high it can climb, and whether the coming holiday surge can elevate it into a position only one console in Sony’s history has surpassed.

In the world of gaming hardware, legacies aren’t defined overnight. They’re built over years, sometimes decades. The PS2’s story is long finished, and untouchable. The PS5’s story, however, is still unfolding, and 2025 may prove to be the year that cements its place among the greatest consoles ever produced.

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