PS5 Accounted for Almost Half of All Console Sales in the UK Last Month | Push Square

Update: Sony has officially released the PS5 Slim. All the details and links you need have been added below.

The UK's final weekly chart of 2023 for physical games is here, and it's Hogwarts Legacy that takes the top spot as the year comes to a close. However, WB Games' open world Harry Potter title has achieved more than that — as reported by GamesIndustry, it's the UK's best-selling boxed game of 2023 overall. Usually, that title goes to EA Sports and its annual football game, but Hogwarts Legacy won out over EA Sports FC 24, ending a 10-year streak.

It’s been an action-packed year, hasn’t it? From the Activision Blizzard courtroom drama through to the absolutely stacked release calendar from start-to-finish, this is our first real opportunity to reflect on 2023. Merry Christmas, by the way, we sincerely hope you and your entire family have a fun one. You’ll find us lingering near to the Selection Box.

Just over a month away from its PS5 and PS4 release, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is getting new gameplay footage on the regular, and this latest chunk of combat from Famitsu is a treat. The 20-minute video focuses on several multiplayer boss fights (which are also playable solo with CPU allies). As we keep saying, the action RPG looks super promising, especially as full teams of four can coordinate their attacks to rack up huge combos and deal crazy damage.

If you were anticipating an action-packed weekend of Stellar Blade action, then you probably should have known better to be honest. Despite being scheduled to release in 2023, it was pretty clear earlier this year that Korean developer Shift Up’s console debut would take a little longer to launch on PS5. It’s now been included in a list of PS Blog highlights, with a 2024 release window attached.

To help round off the year, PlayStation has put together an interactive map of the world that shows the most played PS5 and PS4 games of 2023 in a bunch of different countries. A nice idea, we're sure you'll agree, but the results are every bit as boring as you'd expect.

First launched in 2020, the PlayStation 5 is now one of the most popular consoles of all time and a fan favourite with experienced and newbie gamers alike.

Bandai Namco is full steam ahead with Tekken 8 as the fighting game fast approaches launch day. The title is due for release on 26th January 2024, and up to now, most of its trailers have been focused on single characters. This new one, however, shows off the game's Story mode — and it's looking typically mad.

While it seems the UK's physical games top 10 is pretty much nailed down through the rest of 2023, one late arrival has added a last minute splash of colour to the picture. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launched last week, and it's managed to secure a spot within the list of bestsellers at number five. The four games above it would be tough to beat, especially given the time of year.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name has been warmly received on PS5 and PS4, but there’s been controversy surrounding its English dub. While most fans generally prefer to play the franchise with subtitles anyway, SEGA has found success adding English voiceovers to the series in recent years, making the franchise more accessible than it’s historically been.

Sony propelled overall console sales up almost 60 per cent year-over-year, as the PS5 absolutely exploded in Europe during November. According to a GSD sales report – which tracks several major countries, excluding the likes of the UK and Germany – the new-gen console’s sales were boosted by an eye-opening 376 per cent year-over-year. It’s worth remembering that in 2022 the system was still supply constrained, which is a factor in these results.

Embracer Group has made good on its promise, deciding the fate of UK-based TimeSplitters developer Free Radical Design after a consultation process that concluded on 11th December. Or at least we have to assume so, the embattled company hasn't made an announcement or anything; Free Radical's website is simply gone, with a message left behind that reads: «404 Company Not Found [sad smiley face]»