First launched in November 2006, PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital entertainment service associated with Sony’s PlayStation series of consoles. It has since been expanded to run on smartphones, tablets, and HD televisions. As of June 2025, the network had approximately million monthly active users, a decrease from the million users in December 2024.
PSN perks
PSN has a dedicated store where gamers can buy the latest releases, as well as a subscription service, PlayStation Plus, which allows users to not only play online with their friends, but also gain access to exclusive content and early releases. PlayStation Plus had an estimated million users in spring 2023, illustrating that gamers are willing to pay a little bit extra to connect with the wider gaming world. Moreover, those who are willing to pay for PlayStation Plus Essential are handsomely rewarded in the form of free games — subscribers were offered a cumulative total of U.S. dollars' worth of free video games in 2022.
King of the consoles?
Sony's PlayStation 5 was released in November 2020 and is the company's current flagship console. Sony’s previous console, the PlayStation 4, was released back in late-2013, but is still going strong many years later. The console has surpassed million units sold worldwide, an impressive increase on the million units sold within the first year. The best-selling game of all time on the PS4 is Marvel's Spider-Man at approximately million PS4 game sales. With Microsoft’s Xbox One sales falling short of million units, it appears that Sony is staking its claim as the king of the consoles.