Sony’s Pushing More First-Party Games as PS5 Sales Keep Falling

It’s 2025, and we’re in the middle of the weirdest console war yet—not about who sells the most boxes, but who shares the best games across the aisle.

PS5 Sales Keep Falling. While Forza and Halo are dropping on PlayStation, The Last of Us and Astro Bot are sliding onto PC. Everyone’s borrowing everyone else’s toys, and Sony just admitted it needs more of its own.

That’s the big takeaway from Sony’s latest financials: PS5 sales are declining, and first-party game sales are down by over 10 million units compared to 2023. Even though total software sales are up, Sony’s internal games division clearly isn’t pulling its weight.

So what’s Sony doing? Cranking out more exclusives.

The company confirmed that it’s leaning hard on upcoming titles like Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2, both set to arrive this year. Even though Kojima Productions isn’t a Sony studio, Death Stranding 2 counts as first-party by Sony’s definition, and it’s going to be a major tentpole. There’s also Marathon from Bungie and the long-delayed Lost Soul Aside, both of which fall under Sony’s publishing umbrella.

Is that enough? That’s the billion-dollar question.

“Is Ghost of Yotei the only big Sony game for Christmas?”

That's the question Sony's own investors are asking right now. Because while titles like Astro Bot still carry that lovable PlayStation charm, they’re not exactly system sellers on their own. And the PS5 can no longer rely on GTA 6 hype to keep units moving—Rockstar's juggernaut won't land until May 2026.

Sony sold 18.5 million PS5s in the last fiscal year, down from 20.8 million the year before. That puts lifetime sales at 77.8 million. Respectable, sure. It’s almost caught up with the PS4 at this point in its lifecycle. But momentum is slowing, and with Xbox out here dropping DOOM: The Dark Ages on both platforms like it’s nothing, the idea of a “PlayStation exclusive” is starting to sound a little retro.

What’s interesting is how Sony’s strategy has shifted. A few years ago, it was all about prestige. Big cinematic games, slow release schedules, and tight control over IPs. But now that Xbox is flooding the zone with multiplatform bombs and Game Pass has changed the ecosystem, Sony’s trying to adapt. More releases. More variety. Maybe even fewer remasters if we’re lucky.

Still, the recent track record isn’t amazing. Sony’s spent a good chunk of the PS5 era recycling past hits—The Last of Us Part I, Spider-Man Remastered, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves—and running headfirst into the live service wall (looking at you, Foamstars). Those experiments haven’t really paid off. Now, the focus seems to be on pushing narrative-driven, tightly scoped games again. And that’s probably the right call.

There's also buzz about a new God of War set in Greece. If it’s real, it could be the wildcard that saves Sony in 2025. But nothing's confirmed yet. Until then, Ghost of Yotei—rumored to be a more grounded, stealth-driven take on samurai gameplay—will have to do most of the heavy lifting this holiday.

The real twist is how this all plays out in the bigger console politics. Xbox and PlayStation are trading their crown jewels now, not just to boost revenue, but because everyone knows the hardware battle is winding down. In this phase of the war, it’s all about games and reach. Why sell 20 million copies on one box when you can sell 50 million across three?

That’s why GTA 6 matters here, too. It’s not first-party, but its absence from 2025's calendar leaves a massive hole for both consoles. With the most anticipated game of the decade delayed, Sony needs its first-party titles to pick up the hype—and that’s a big ask for games like Astro Bot and Lost Soul Aside, even if they land well.

Next month’s State of Play or Summer Game Fest will tell us more. Sony needs to show more than just cool indies or DLC. It needs to announce some actual bangers. Not another remake. Not another shooter chasing Fortnite’s tail. Real games, real exclusives, real reasons to own a PS5 instead of waiting for PlayStation 6 or just subscribing to Game Pass on your smart TV.

Until then, all eyes are on Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and the first-party slate Sony insists is coming. Because the platform that wins the next year won’t be the one with the best console—it’ll be the one with the best software, no matter where it ends up running.