PS3 Still Has Nearly 2 Million Monthly Active Players

The PlayStation 3 first released in 2006, but it seems a lot of people are still getting enjoyment out of the system. According to information from the recent Insomniac leak, 1.9 million monthly users were still spending time with the console as of February. At this point, that was nearly a year ago, and things could have changed since then. We also don't have any idea where these consoles are located, or what games are being played. Regardless, that number is very impressive, and it says a lot about the long term enjoyment some gamers get out of their systems! 

The most logical explanation for PS3's continued use is the console's library. Neither PS4 or PS5 offered backwards compatibility with PS3 games, leaving most of the system's games stranded. A lot of PS3 classics have been brought to modern PlayStation consoles, including first-party games like The Last of Us and third-party favorites like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Grand Theft Auto 5. However, there's simply no way to access a lot of other PS3 games besides playing them on the original system. 

In addition to the PS3's own library, the system also offered backwards compatibility with PS1 and PS2 games. The PS3 slim models would abandon PS2 backwards compatibility, while retaining the ability to play games from the PS1 era. For anyone wanting to play games that were released on Sony's first two systems, PS3 might still be the best option for doing so. 

The PS3 Store

Another factor in PS3's continued use could be the fact that the digital storefront remains open. PlayStation had plans to close the PS3 store in 2021, but the company reversed course on that decision. As such, PS3 owners can still buy games digitally on the system, making it easy to still acquire games for the console. The store's closure could have had a negative impact; the fact that the store remains open likely means that the system's active users are still buying digital games and content. 

PS3 vs. Xbox 360

While PlayStation did not offer information on PS3's monthly users willingly, it would be interesting to see Microsoft's own monthly active users for Xbox 360. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were released a few days apart, and offered a number of the same third-party games. Overall hardware sales for the two systems were also fairly close throughout their lifespans. The biggest difference is that Microsoft has offered much stronger backwards compatibility for that particular era, with many older Xbox 360 games being playable on Xbox Series X|S. Some of those older games have even received modern enhancements. Since that hasn't been the case with PlayStation, it stands to reason that fewer Xbox 360 consoles might still be getting used. Unfortunately, there's really no way of knowing for sure! 

Do you still get regular use out of your PS3? Are there any PS3 games that you'd still like to see brought over to PS4 and PS5? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Exputer]