Folks hoping to upgrade to the PlayStation 6 are going to have to wait a few more years, at least, until Sony is ready to release it. Rumors regarding next-gen console releases from both Microsoft and Sony have been circulating in increasing frequency throughout 2025, and while there’s been some official information shared by Xbox president Sarah Bond, the latest from Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao hints that we might not see the PlayStation until closer to 2030.
The Sony exec attended a recent earnings call where he was asked about the next console. It was explained that Sony is witnessing a continuing trend of players holding onto their older consoles, particularly the PlayStation 4, which still accounts for almost half of Sony’s active users, and that console launched in 2013. On the other hand, the PlayStation 5 is only 6 years old, and so the exec says, it is only about halfway through its lifecycle. The following has been transcribed by VGC.
“This year, in year 6 since the launch, PS5 has been growing its installed base, and our view is that, compared to the conventional console life cycles, and looking at the PS4 cycle, it seems to be getting longer and longer.
Especially with the PS4, which was launched in 2013, it’s been over a decade since then, but there are many active users enjoying the console, and they’re enjoying the other consoles [too].”
-Lin Tao, Sony CFO
The chess match between Microsoft and Sony continues as each is exploring new, or in some cases old, ways to reach more players. Microsoft’s expansion into the gaming handheld sector is one example, and while new territory for it, Sony has multiple past products there and is rumored to be working on a device which could feature PS4-level performance. Meanwhile, the console maker has received criticism for raising prices and recently releasing a revised PS5 model in Europe and the U.S. with less storage (reduced to 825 GB from 1 TB). In addition to this, it was just announced that Sony will be releasing another digital-only model in Japan, and while the revealed price seems to be discounted, it’s still higher than the launch price when taking into account the price hikes since then.
It’s safe to assume that Nintendo, given the recently released Switch 2, has no immediate plans for another upcoming hardware release, but eyes have been keen on the other two manufacturers due to ongoing technological advances by AMD with its APUs. From custom designs to its Halo Strix products, folks are interested in the performance gains for a new PlayStation or Xbox, but perhaps the greater question beyond when is how much they will cost. Some could say that price is a big reason there’s still such a large PS4 active player base that Sony is seeing.