Every Sony Console, Ranked

In 1995, Sony released the first PlayStation in North America, carving out a niche in the growing console market. The system established Sony as a major player in the industry, and it didn’t stop with a single console. Sony continued to develop, advance, and release multiple systems over the years, including several portable options. Since 1995, Sony has released seven distinct consoles (not including Pro, Slim, Streaming, or other versions), and we’ve looked through them all to rank them. Each Sony console is ranked based on its game library, its overall popularity, and how successful it’s been.

7) PlayStation Vita

Sony faced backlash over its proprietary media format on earlier handhelds, which the company attempted to overcome with the PlayStation Vita in 2012. It was released with a 5-inch OLED touchscreen and a button configuration familiar to PlayStation players. It had problems establishing itself in the market, as the Vita was released around the time tablets and mobile gaming on cell phones were taking over, resulting in estimated sales of fewer than 16 million units. Fans weren’t enamored with the system’s expensive proprietary memory cards, though its downloadable library of games consists of some good ones. Regardless, the Vita was a commercial failure, likely marking Sony’s last non-streaming handheld for a while.

6) PlayStation 3

Ranking the main PlayStation consoles is challenging, as Sony has never lacked good games for its systems. The PlayStation 3 was released in 2007 to compete with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, and it did incredibly well, selling over 87 million units. It ran into issues due to its high cost, as it was somewhat over-engineered, making it incredibly powerful but costly. This is the main reason the PS3 is Sony’s lowest-rated home video game console; subsequent Slim and Super Slim models improved it, making the system more affordable while addressing some issues.

5) PlayStation Portable

Sony’s first foray into the handheld console market came in the form of the PlayStation Portable in 2005. The system featured superior hardware and numerous advancements over its direct competitor, the Nintendo DS. It boasted plenty of excellent games and a large library, which helped sell more than 80 million PSPs over the console’s life cycle. The biggest criticism players had was the system’s proprietary media, called Universal Media Discs (UMD). These were small optical discs enclosed in a case that would often crack. Regardless, the system itself was powerful, playable, and loaded with exceptional games.

4) PlayStation 5

When Sony released the PlayStation 5 in 2020, few could imagine it would become one of the most scalped devices in history. It became almost impossible to find one, thanks to scalpers scooping them up to resell for considerably more than Sony charged. It was released in two models, one with an optical drive and another without, which was less expensive but limited to downloadable games. The PS5 was incredibly powerful upon release, which is a trend for Sony, and its features made it highly desirable for its video performance, which was unparalleled. Sony sold around 92 million PS5s, putting it behind the PS4.

3) PlayStation 4

Sony released the PlayStation 4 in 2013, competing with the Xbox One, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. It was the most advanced home video game console ever released, and the system sold well, moving over 117 million units. Like other PlayStation consoles, it had no lack of great games, and this didn’t hinder its sales or performance in any way. Sony released a Pro version with a higher CPU clock rate and faster GPU to support 4K games, making the PS4 even more powerful. The system remained on the market until Sony discontinued it in March 2024, making room for its successor.

2) PlayStation

Sony’s inaugural console was a literal game-changer when it was released in 1994. The system found itself in competition with the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn, which it utterly defeated. The console is notable for emphasizing 3D polygon graphics, which the system handled better than the competition, and it launched many fantastic franchises and individual titles, including Gran Turismo, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Final Fantasy VII. As Sony’s introductory console, the PlayStation was a smashing success, selling more than 100 million units throughout its life.

1) PlayStation 2

Sony released the PlayStation 2 in 2000, and it is not only Sony’s best-selling console with more than 160 million units sold, but it’s also the best-selling console of all time. It faced plenty of competition from the Xbox, Sega Dreamcast, and Nintendo GameCube, but it left them all in the dust, as none could match its raw power and excellent library of games. The global library amounts to nearly 11,000 titles, which is vast, to say the least. Everything about the system was an improvement over its predecessor and all of the competition, thanks to full backward compatibility that no other contemporary system could match.

What’s your all-time favorite Sony console? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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