Forward-looking: With the PlayStation 5 Pro now available, speculation about Sony’s next console, the PlayStation 6, is intensifying. Shuhei Yoshida, former Sony executive and head of SIE Worldwide Studios, suggests we might not see its release until 2028.
Yoshida spent 38 years at Sony, dedicating 31 of them to PlayStation. After departing on January 15, 2025, he shared a detailed interview with GamesBeat.
In the interview, console cycle durations were discussed. The publication highlights that during Yoshida’s time at PlayStation, console launches typically occurred every five to six years, though gaps are increasing.
The PlayStation 4 launched in November 2013. The PlayStation 4 Pro followed in 2016, yet the PlayStation 5 didn’t debut until November 2020, marking a seven-year span—compared to the five-year gap between the original PlayStation (1995) and the PS2 (2000). The PS3 launched six years after, in 2006, while the PS4 arrived seven years later.
Yoshida suggests that if Sony maintains a seven-year interval, the PlayStation 6 might arrive in 2027. However, he believes that’s premature. “The PS5 era experienced delays due to manufacturing setbacks,” Yoshida explained, proposing 2028 as a more fitting timeframe. He noted that Microsoft’s next Xbox might also launch in 2028, based on leaks.
He further explained that the PS5 era was “slowed” by pandemic-related manufacturing issues and the global chip shortage. Discussing prolonged cycles and the industry’s post-pandemic slowdown, he described it as an “overreaction to the COVID situation.”
“Companies, including ours, over-invested. Subsequent adjustments were necessary as reality set in. Excluding the COVID years, growth would appear more consistent over time.”
The PlayStation 5 enjoyed its best holiday season in 2024, shipping 9.5 million units—comparable to the PlayStation 4’s peak quarter in FY2017. With over 75 million units sold, PS5 remains ahead of Xbox Series S/X, which has sold approximately 28.3 million units with minimal growth.
Recently, a leaker reported that the PlayStation 6 chip design is nearly finalized and approaching production. In line with Sony’s cycle, this completion could indicate a 2027 launch.
The same leaker mentioned that Sony might be developing two SoCs for the PlayStation 6, speculating that one may power the console and the other a new handheld device or a less-powerful PS6 variant.
Masthead: Robin Edqvist
