Xbox Series X|S console sales fell by almost 50% in 2024

For the past generation or so, Microsoft has been actively pivoting its Xbox business away from the console itself in favour of spreading awareness for Xbox as a brand; no matter where you play. Whether it be a self-fulfilling prophecy or Microsoft simply having read the tea leaves, fans appear to be buying fewer and fewer Xbox consoles with each passing year – with an almost 50% drop in sales during 2024.

The GSD recently published their annual European game data report for 2024, revealing a year-on-year drop in console sales across the board (as collated by VGC).

That said, Microsoft certainly bared the brunt of the hit, as not only did they take 3rd place behind PS5 and Switch respectively in terms of total consoles sold, but also saw the largest drop in unit sales; with -48% YoY (compared to PS5’s -20% and Switch’s -15%).

This is especially troubling when considering the fact that Xbox was also in 3rd place last year following a -14.2% drop in sales (compared to PS5’s explosive 633% growth during the same period – making its decline the following year less problematic).

In terms of software we have the usual suspects, with EA Sports FC 25 sitting as the best-selling game of 2024 in Europe followed by Black Ops 6 (with 3rd place going to EA Sports FC 24). The complete list of Europe’s 20 best-selling games of last year can be found HERE.

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KitGuru says: Are you at all surprised by the 3 best-selling games of the year? What does Xbox’s declining sales mean for the brand? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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