Console sales surged over Black Friday, with PS5 taking the lion's share thanks to big discounts

News
By published

There was plenty of gaming appetite in the UK

A PS5 Pro and PS5 console next to eachother divided by a white line
(Image credit: Future/PlayStation/Sony)
  • UK hardware sales data is in for the Black Friday period
  • PS5 consoles surged, accounting for 62% of the market share
  • Switch 2 was also successful, though Xbox consoles lagged behind

There was much appetite for games console sales over last month's Black Friday sales event. And we now have some data from UK consumers to check out.

Hardware sales data from market research firm NielsenIQ (as reported by The Game Business) console sales in the UK were up 7% in units, and 14% in total revenue.

The PlayStation 5 family of consoles unsurprisingly drove the lion's share of console sales over the Black Friday period, accounting for a staggering 62% share. This is in no small part due to the shockingly large discounts Sony applied to its consoles, with an average £340 sale price.

On average, Sony shaved around 21% off PS5 Slim consoles with the disc drive included, and around 34% off the PS5 Slim Digital Edition. The PS5 Pro also dropped to a new low of £586 - over £100 cheaper than its retail price of £699.99.

Nintendo had a decent showing, too, with the Switch 2 console. It accounted for around 23% of hardware unit sales. Discounts on Nintendo's system were nowhere near as aggressive as Sony's, but shoppers still managed to save on consoles and bundles with an average £405 selling price.

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles lagged behind the competition, accounting for around 10% of hardware sales over the Black Friday period. A lack of appetite for Microsoft's consoles after such harsh price rises is likely the main offender, but there were savings to be had; shoppers spent £385 on Xbox consoles on average, showing that the cheaper Series S was likely more popular over the sales period.

PS5 Slim
The best gaming consoles

➡️ Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles
1. Best overall:
PlayStation 5 Slim
2. Best budget:
Xbox Series S
3. Best handheld:
Nintendo Switch 2
4. Most powerful:
PlayStation 5 Pro

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Rhys Wood
Rhys Wood
Hardware Editor

Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for over four years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.