The PS5 sold 78 million units as of March 31 This is despite the disastrous restocking of the PS5, which has made it nearly impossible for millions of gamers to actually get their hands on the console

These sales figures come from Sony's most recent earnings report, which tracks the company's performance for the most recent fiscal year The document reveals that the PS5 has outsold the PS4, which sold 76 million units in its first fiscal year, over the same period

This corroborates information obtained from NPD earlier this month that the PS5 is the fastest-selling console in US history (in both units sold and dollars sold) However, that report also stated that the Nintendo Switch sold more units in the first quarter of 2021, likely due to the greater availability of Nintendo's console

The report stated that 45 million PS5s had been shipped by the end of 2020, with another 33 million shipped as of March 31 This suggests that despite overwhelming demand, Sony's ability to manufacture the console has not improved much since its launch

As many frustrated gamers have noticed, actually purchasing a PS5 remains a very tricky task The console is currently sold out worldwide, and restocks are infrequent and short-lived Sony is making noises about improving supply in the coming months, but it will likely be around 2022 before the PS5 hits store shelves without a furious buying frenzy

PlayStation's report is generally favorable The division reported an operating profit of $314 billion, a record high, with hardware sales accounting for about 20% of that The company also reaffirmed that PlayStation Plus subscribers reached 476 million

Sony seems quite bullish about the remainder of this fiscal year and beyond, and expects even higher earnings next year However, they expect total profits to be slightly lower due to rising costs in areas such as game development

If you're still trying to become a PS5 owner, bookmark our PS5 buying guide It should make the seemingly thankless task of actually purchasing Sony's next-generation console a little easier