Happy birthday to the PlayStation 5

Previously, you could count the number of years between game consoles using one hand.

The original Sony PlayStation was released in the UK in September 1995. Five years later, the PS2 was released, bringing with it significant changes.

It's a similar story with other consoles, but things seem to have slowed down recently – which may explain why, as the PS5 celebrates its fifth anniversary, a potential PS6 is nowhere in sight.

According to PlayStation commercial director Eric Lempel, this is because there is still a lot of life in the old dog.

“I'd say we're really successful now,” he told BBC News.

With “a lot of great content” remaining, the company is “just going to continue releasing PS5,” he explained.

Mr Lempel oversaw the launch of the console, which faced supply chain problems following its release due to a global chip shortage.

Supply problems were resolved after three years, and the console sold over 84 million units worldwide.

And as it turns five, he said the game that would become the best-selling PS5 hasn't even been released yet.

“I won’t tell you which one, but I think it’s still to come,” he said.

The fact that PlayStation is able to predict future blockbusters is partly due to the fact that the PS5 has not been technologically displaced in the way that consoles of the past may have been.

“Back in the 80s and 90s, every console provided a huge increase in power and capabilities over what came before,” said Steve Cottam, head of game streaming service Antstream Arcade.

“Today improvements are still happening, but they are more technical and less obvious to the average player.”

The fact that the PS5 won't be around for a while means Sony has a lot of high-profile games in development.

Marvel's Wolverine, created by the same team behind the successful Spider-Man series, is scheduled for release in 2026, while Intergalactic, the upcoming game from Uncharted and The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog, is in development.

Industry expert Christopher Dring said Naughty Dog's schedule goes some way to explaining another reason consoles last longer: making games for them takes longer than before.

“Naughty Dog has released four games since the PS3 was launched,” he said.

“In the PS4 generation, this number has been reduced to three games, and in the PS5 generation, none have been released yet.”

He said the story was being repeated across the industry with Grand Theft Auto 6, which will be released on both PlayStation and Xbox. recently delayed until November 2026.

Mr Dring said another factor that could also explain the longevity of a console like the PS5 is that gamers are more willing to try new things.

“We're seeing on average people playing 50% more games than they did last generation, and they're really switching to different types of games,” he said.

“They'll play the hits, but they'll also play smaller games or unique games they've never heard of before.”

One gamer told the BBC that the gap between console releases may not be so bad for consumers.

“I think it's good that they don't release new consoles every couple of years anymore – with a new variant here, a slightly thinner version there, a slightly larger screen, etc.,” said content creator Rachel Howe, known on Twitch as DontRachQuit.

“When the quality jump is larger, they seem more valuable.”

Another reason why Sony is in no hurry to introduce new hardware is that the PS5 is still ahead of its competitors, outselling Microsoft's Series X and S consoles – at least in the home console market.

However, the same cannot be said about portable devices.

The Nintendo Switch, a portable console that connects to your TV and lets you play games on the big screen, is the third best-selling console in history.

Its sequel, Switch 2, released in June 2025, has already sold 10 million units in its first few months.

However, PlayStation is not giving up this fight.

“We are always looking to innovate in this category,” Mr. Lempel said.

The success of Nintendo's hardware may have inspired Sony to release the PlayStation Portal, an accessory that lets you stream games from the PS5 you already own.

Mr Lempel said Portal was “performing very well” and while he would not reveal exact sales figures, he said they had “exceeded our expectations”.

Mr. Dring said he believes there is another difference in the way games are currently released that could contribute to the lengthening time between hardware releases.

“Some of the most popular games today can still be played on PS4, and for the first three years it was relatively rare to see any PS5-only releases,” he said.

“The most played games charts are dominated by games like Fortnite, Roblox and Call of Duty: Warzone… games that are in some cases over 10 years old and can be played on much older devices.

“So we might get a new console in 2027, but it's likely that most of the games that will launch with that device will be fully playable on existing hardware.”

In recent years, PlayStation has moved into television and film, which Lempel said has also had an impact on game sales.

“We've also found that some people are discovering these characters and worlds and want more,” he said.

“If you watch something like The Last of Us, they want to know what's going to happen.”

He said the show's upcoming third season “is going to be phenomenal” and further series based on God of War and Ghost of Tsushima are in development.

But if he could pick any PlayStation game to turn into a television program, there would be one clear winner: 2002's Sly Cooper, the raccoon crime character.

“I love this game from Sucker Punch, another great developer of ours who has evolved several times over the years and done a lot of great things,” he said.

“But I just think it's going to be a really interesting show… like Ocean's 11.” I think that would be great.”