Theninth generation of video game consoles began in November 2020 with the releases ofMicrosoft'sXbox Series X and Series S console family andSony'sPlayStation 5.[1][2][3]
Compared to theeighth-genXbox One andPlayStation 4, the new consoles add faster computation and graphics processors, support forreal-time ray tracing graphics,[4] output for4K resolution, and in some cases,8K resolution, with rendering speeds targeting 60frames per second (FPS) or higher.[5] Internally, both console families introduced new internalsolid-state drive (SSD) systems to be used as high-throughput memory and storage systems for games to reduce or eliminate loading times and supportin-game streaming.[6] The Xbox Series S and the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition lack an optical drive while retaining support for online distribution and storing games on externalUSB devices.
Despite much weaker processing power and already previously competing with eighth-generation consoles, theNintendo Switch has also been noted as a competitor to ninth-generation consoles, particularly with the introduction of the "OLED Model" revision in 2021;[7][8] a successor, theNintendo Switch 2, was released in June 2025.[9] Other handheld personal computer devices such as theSteam Deck introduced means to playLinux games, as well as mostWindows games throughProton, on-the-go, further expanding hardware competition in the generation.
The duration from theeighth generation until the start of the ninth was one of the longest in history, having started in 2012 with the release of Nintendo'sWii U. Past generations typically had five-year windows as a result ofMoore's law,[10] but Microsoft and Sony instead launched mid-console redesigns, theXbox One X andPlayStation 4 Pro.[11] Microsoft also launched a monthly console lease program, with the option to buy or upgrade.[12] Some analysts believed these factors signaled the first major shift away from the idea of console generations because the potential technical gains of new hardware had become nominal.[13]
Microsoft and Sony had announced their new consoles in 2019 for release by the end of 2020, prior to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[14][15] When the pandemic struck in March 2020, it impacted both marketing and production of the consoles. The cancelledE3 2020 had been planned as a major venue to premiere the consoles, and instead both Microsoft and Sony turned to online showcases to highlight the systems and launch games. Both companies acknowledged that the pandemic had strained their production supplies due to hardware manufacturing slowdowns starting in March 2020, but would not impact their console release windows, and they set consumer expectations that console supplies would likely be limited in the launch window and would slowly become more relaxed as the pandemic waned.[16][17] This created a wave ofscalping through online stores, which was countered by manufacturers and vendors.[18] The ongoingglobal chip shortage continued to affect console shipments through the end of 2021, with Sony warning of lower production numbers during the final calendar quarter of the year and into 2022; this also affected Nintendo'sSwitch console production rates andValve's plans to release the portableSteam Deck handheld gaming computer, from its planned December 2021 release date to February 2022.[19]
The PlayStation 5 was developed by Sony as the successor to thePlayStation 4 and was first released on November 12, 2020.[20] The primary goal of the PlayStation 5's development was to reduce loading times in games, particularly those that usein-game streaming such as when the player moves across anopen world. Sony developed a customsolid-state drive (SSD) architecture based on a 12-channel, 825 GB SSD along with a fast software decompression method that enables an input/output speed of up to 8 to 9 GB/s. In most early development tests, this virtually eliminated loading screens and masking loading times for open world games.[21] The main system is backed by anAMDZen 2system on a chip running at a variable frequency capped at 3.5 GHz, and aRDNA 2 GPU also running at a variable frequency capped at 2.23 GHz. The GPU has a total potential processing power of 10.28 teraflops. The system comes with 16 GB of memory.[22]
The PlayStation 5 was launched with two models. The base model includes an optical disc reader for most disc formats includingBlu-ray,UHD Blu-ray, and retail PlayStation 5 games. A cheaper Digital model lacks the disc reader, but otherwise is equivalent to the base model. Both models support expanded memory options to store games and other data onto external drives, thus allowing players to obtain and store games through online distribution via the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation 5 has mostly complete backward compatibility with PlayStation 4 games, with only a limited number of games not currently supported on the console,[23] while thePlayStation Now cloud service is available for users to play games from the older PlayStation consoles.[24]
Mid-generation revision of both PlayStation 5 models were announced in late 2023, both unofficially considered the PlayStation 5 Slim. The units are to replace the two original PlayStation 5 models; both will have a slimmer design as well as 1 TB of internal storage and additional USB ports. The more expensive model includes an optical disc drive, while the second model, the Digital Edition, will not ship with a drive, though a drive expansion kit will be available to users.[25][26]
The Xbox Series X/S is the successor to theXbox One and was released on November 10, 2020, in select regions.[27][28] Microsoft followed the Xbox One's dual console models: a high-end line (the Series X comparable to the Xbox One X), and a cheaper model (the Series S comparable to the Xbox One S).[29] The performance goal for the Xbox Series X was about four times that of the Xbox One X,[30] but without sacrificing game development for the lower-end Xbox Series S.[29]
Both the Xbox Series X and Series S use anAMDZen 2 CPU and anRDNA 2 GPU but with different frequencies and compute units. The Series S has lower frequencies with reduced performance, and the Series X has graphics performance estimated at 12.155 teraflops compared to the Series S's 4.006 teraflops.[31][32] Microsoft developed a Velocity Architecture, which includes an internal SSD system (1 TB on the Series X, 500 GB on the Series S) used for storing games and newDirectX interfaces with improved input/output and in-game texture streaming and rendering. The Series X includes an optical disc reader supporting Blu-ray and UHD media, which is absent in the Series S.[33] Both consoles support external game storage media and online distribution viaXbox Live. Full backward compatibility was announced for all Xbox One games, including previously supportedXbox andXbox 360 games but excludingKinect games.[34][35] Microsoft encouraged third-party developers and publishers to use its Smart Delivery approach to give Xbox One games free performance upgrade patches for Xbox Series X/S.[36]
The following table includes only named released models, and does not include minor hardware revisions or redesigns, such as the "slim" model of the PlayStation 5.
| Product Line | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X/S | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | PlayStation 5 Digital Edition | PlayStation 5 | PlayStation 5 Pro | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X | |
| Logo |  |  | ||||
| Image |  |  | _(2160p_60fps_VP9-128kbit_AAC)-00.02.23.200.png) |  |  | |
| A PS5 Digital Edition with the DualSense controller | A standard PS5 with the DualSense controller | A standard PS5 Pro | An Xbox Series S with its controller | An Xbox Series X with its controller | ||
| Manufacturer | Sony Interactive Entertainment | Microsoft Gaming | ||||
| Release dates | AU/JP/KR/NA/NZ/SGP: November 12, 2020 WW: November 19, 2020[37] IND: January 22, 2021 INA: February 2, 2021[38] CHN: May 15, 2021[39] | WW: November 7, 2024 | WW: November 10, 2020 CHN: June 10, 2021[40] | |||
| Launch prices | US$ | 399.99 | 499.99 | 699.99 | 299.99[a] | 499.99[b] |
| € | 399.99 | 499.99 | 799.99 | 299.99[a] | 499.99[b] | |
| GBP | 359.99 | 449.99 | 699.99 | 249.99[a] | 449.99[b] | |
| A$ | 599.95 | 749.95 | 1,199.95 | 499[a] | 749[b] | |
| JP¥ | 39,980 | 49,980 | 119,980 | 29,980[a] | 49,980[b] | |
| Current prices [41] | US$ | 499.99 | 549.99 | 749.99 | 399.99[a]/449.99[c] | 649.99[b]/599.99[c]/799.99[d] |
| € | 499.99 | 549.99 | Same as launch price | 349.99[a]/399.99[c] | 599.99[b]/549.99[c]/699.99[d] | |
| GBP | 429.99 | 479.99 | 299.99[a]/349.99[c] | 499.99[b]/449.99[c]/589.99[d] | ||
| A$ | 749.95 | 829.95 | 549[a]/599[c] | 849[b]/749[c]/1,049[d] | ||
| JP¥ | 59,980 | 66,980 | 44,578[a]/49,978[c] | 66,978[b]/59,978[c] | ||
| Sales | Shipped | 65.5 million (as of 30 June 2024[update])[42] | 28.3 million (as of 30 June 2024[update])[42] | |||
| Sold | 61.7 million (as of 30 June 2024[update])[42] | |||||
| Game media | ||||||
| Media | Digital distribution | UHD Blu-ray,Blu-ray,digital distribution | Digital distribution | Digital distribution | UHD Blu-ray,Blu-ray,DVD,CD,digital distribution | |
| Regional lockout | Unrestricted | |||||
| Other | UHD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD with optional disc drive | UHD Blu-ray,Blu-ray,DVD | UHD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD with optional disc drive | — | UHD Blu-ray,Blu-ray,DVD,CD | |
| Backward compatibility | Almost allPlayStation 4 andPlayStation VR games | — | AllXbox One games (excludingKinect-required games) andXbox 360 and originalXbox games playable on Xbox One (list) | |||
| CPU | ||||||
| Type | CustomAMD 8-core based onZen 2 architecture | |||||
| ISA | x86-64 | |||||
| Clock speed | up to 3.5 GHz (variable) withSMT always on | up to 3.85 GHz (variable) withSMT always on | 3.4 GHz with SMT, 3.6 GHz without SMT | 3.6 GHz with SMT, 3.8 GHz without SMT | ||
| Process | 7 nm[e] or6 nm[f] | 4 nm[43] | 7 nm | 7 nm or6 nm | ||
| GPU | Type | CustomAMD RadeonRDNA 2 architecture | Hybrid AMDRDNA 2 architecture withRDNA 3 features andRDNA 4Raytracing cores | CustomAMD RadeonRDNA 2 architecture | ||
| Clock speed | up to 2.233 GHz (variable) | up to 2.35 GHz (variable) | 1.565 GHz | 1.825 GHz | ||
| TFLOP/s | up to 10.28 TFLOPS (variable) | up to 18.048 TFLOPS (variable)[44] | 4.006 TFLOPS | 12.155 TFLOPS | ||
| Compute units | 36 out of 40 CUs (2304 out of 2560 SMs) enabled | 60 CU | 20 out of 24 CUs (1280 out of 1536 SMs) enabled | 52 out of 56 CUs (3328 out of 3584 SMs) enabled | ||
| Process | 7 nm[e] or6 nm[f] | 4 nm | 7 nm | 7 nm or6 nm | ||
| Memory | Main & other | 16 GBGDDR6 SDRAM; 256-bit (unified) 512 MBDDR4 SDRAM (for background tasks) | 16 GBGDDR6 SDRAM 2 GBDDR5 SDRAM | 10 GBGDDR6 SDRAM; 128-bit (semi-unified) | 16 GBGDDR6 SDRAM; 320-bit (semi-unified) | |
| Bandwidth | 448 GB/s | 576 GB/s | 8 GB (128-bit) (GPU) @ 224 GB/s 2 GB (32-bit) (system) @ 56 GB/s | 10 GB (320-bit) (GPU) @ 560 GB/s 6 GB (3.5 GB & 2.5 GB) (192-bit) (system) @ 336 GB/s | ||
| Clock speed | 1.75 GHz (14 GHz effective) | 2.25 GHz (18 GHz effective) | 1.75 GHz (14 GHz effective) | 1.75 GHz (14 GHz effective) | ||
| Storage | Internal | 825 GB[g] or 1 TB[h]PCIe Gen 4 customNVMeSSD | 2 TBPCIe Gen 4 customNVMeSSD | 512 GB or 1 TBPCIe Gen 4 customNVMeSSD | 1 TB or 2 TBPCIe Gen 4 customNVMeSSD | |
| Reserved byOS | 161 GB | 200 GB | ||||
| External | M.2NVMe SSD support (with September 2021 system update),[45] USB 3.2 HDD Support (archive only for PS5 games) | Storage Expansion Card (up to 2 TB), USB 3.1 HDD Support (archive only for X/S games)[46] | ||||
| Bandwidth | 5.5 GB/s (raw or uncompressed), 8–9 GB/s, up to 22 GB/s (compressed) | 2.4 GB/s (raw or uncompressed), 4.8 GB/s (compressed) | ||||
| Game installation | Updates are downloaded and installed automatically in Rest Mode | Updates are downloaded and installed automatically in Instant-on Mode | ||||
| Network | Wireless | Dual-bandWi-Fi 6 @ 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz | Tri-bandWi-Fi 7 @ 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz | Dual-bandWi-Fi 5 @ 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz | ||
| Wired | Gigabit Ethernet | |||||
| Dimensions | 390 × 260 × 92 mm (15.4 × 10.2 × 3.6 in)[g] 358 × 216 × 80 mm (14.1 × 8.5 × 3.1 in)[h] | 390 × 260 × 104 mm (15.4 × 10.2 × 4.1 in)[g] 358 × 216 × 96 mm (14.1 × 8.5 × 3.8 in)[h] | 388 × 216 × 89 mm (15.3 × 8.5 × 3.5 in) | 151 × 65 × 275 mm (5.9 × 2.6 × 10.8 in) | 151 × 151 × 301 mm (5.9 × 5.9 × 11.9 in) | |
| Weight | 3.9 kg (8.6 lb)[i] 3.6 kg (7.9 lb)[j] 3.4 kg (7.5 lb)[k] 2.6 kg (5.7 lb)[h] | 4.5 kg (9.9 lb)[i] 4.2 kg (9.3 lb)[j] 3.9 kg (8.6 lb)[k] 3.2 kg (7.1 lb)[h] | 3.1 kg (6.8 lb) | 1.92 kg (4.2 lb) | 4.44 kg (9.8 lb) | |
| Power | 340 W[47] | 350 W[47] | 390 W | 165 W[48] | 315 W[48] | |
| Included in the box |
| Same as base model, minus console base |
| |||
| Video | Output | HDMI:720p,1080i,1080p,1440p,4K UHD,8K UHD | HDMI:720p,1080p,1440p,4K UHD | HDMI:720p,1080p,1440p,4K UHD,8K UHD | ||
| Audio |
|
| ||||
| Peripheral abilities | Controller | DualSense wireless controller | Xbox Wireless Controller | |||
| Touch capability | DualSense controller includes a "touchpad" | — | ||||
| Camera | PS5 HD camera | — | ||||
| Online services | PlayStation Network,PlayStation Now | Xbox network,Xbox Game Pass | ||||
| Downloads games and automatic updates in the background | ||||||
| PaidPlayStation Plus subscription required for Cloud saves, online multiplayer, except for free-to-play titles | PaidXbox Game Pass Core subscription required for online multiplayer, except for free-to-play titles, free cloud saves[49] | |||||
| Game DVR | Image | — | ||||
| Video | — | |||||
| Live streaming | Free | |||||
| List of games | List of PlayStation 5 games | List of Xbox Series X and Series S games | ||||
| System software | PlayStation 5 System Software | Xbox Series X/S System Software | ||||
| Updates | Updates are downloaded and installed automatically in Rest Mode | Updates are downloaded and installed automatically in Instant-on Mode | ||||
| Sources | [50] | [51][52] | [53] | |||
Despite being aholdover from the eighth-generation, the Nintendo Switch has been positioned by sources as a primary competitor to other ninth-generation consoles, due to its continued hardware and software support as of 2024.[7][8][54] The financial failure of Nintendo's first eighth-gen console, theWii U, resulted in the Switch's relatively late release in the eighth-generation, being released in March 2017.[55][56] An "OLED Model" revision was released on October 8, 2021, introducing an updated design and improved display, though it did not introduce any performance improvements.[57] Additionally, commercial performance of Switch-exclusive titles have remained high during the ninth-generation, withPokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022) andThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) both achieving 10 million units sold in their first three days after release.[58][59] Nintendo announced a successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, on January 16, 2025, with it releasing on June 5 in the same year.[60]
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On February 25, 2022,Valve released theSteam Deck, a handheld gaming PC that runsSteamOS 3.0, a Linux distribution developed by Valve. The Deck includes Valve's ownProtoncompatibility layer, allowing nearly all Windows-based games to run on the Deck without modification. The handheld also allows users to install Windows or other software on the device. The Steam Deck was the first handheld to use an RDNA 2 GPU, which is also used on both the home consoles of the ninth generation.[61] The handheld was well received by many outlets, with an overall praising of its extensive game compatibility and portability.[62][63]
The success of the Steam Deck led to the growth of the handheld gaming PC market and to the creation of direct competitors, such as theAsus ROG Ally,Lenovo Legion Go,MSI Claw A1M, and theAyaneo runningMicrosoft Windows.[64]
Cloud gaming has become part of the gaming landscape withStadia andAmazon Luna being introduced in November 2019 and October 2020, respectively, as well asGeForce Now coming out of its four years of beta in February 2020. None of these systems have had any financial breakthrough ashome video game consoles, but they are viable for multi platform ninth generation games.[65]Google, having failed to find a large player base, shut down Stadia on January 19, 2023.[66]
Cloud gaming has also been used by Microsoft as part of its gaming subscription service,Xbox Game Pass. This gave Microsoft a head start in what analysts expected to be a major complementary service, supplementing the unprofitable console business and appealing to more entry-level players with better accessibility at a lower price.[67] Microsoft'sPhil Spencer said that they believed that they could not compete on the console hardware space as much as Sony or Nintendo, and shifted their strategy towards Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming.[68] Sony in turn revamped itsPlayStation Plus subscription in mid-2022 by merging inPlayStation Now, its cloud-based service for games of past PlayStation generations, as a feature in a higher subscription tier.[69]
The continued growth of cloud gaming services has inspired the development of handhelds like theLogitech G CLOUD Gaming Handheld[70] andRazer Edge,[71] which advertise cloud streaming as a key selling point.
The ninth generation continued the trend ofvirtual reality. The previous generation mainly consisted of VR accessories made formobile games (such as Google'sCardboard/Daydream andSamsung'sGear VR) or computers (HTC Vive and theOculus Rift).[72][73] This generation has started to offer standalone headsets dedicated tovirtual reality games. TheMeta Quest Pro was released in 2022.[74] Additions in 2023 included thePlayStation VR2 (a PS5 accessory serving as a successor to 2016'sPlayStation VR) and theMeta Quest 3.[75] 2024 also sawApple's entry into the market with the release of theApple Vision Pro.[76][77]
Polymega[78] andAtari 2600+[79] are examples of game consoles released during the timespan of this generation, which focus onretro gaming and re-releases of older games.
While not directly focused on re-releases,Atari VCS is aLinux-based console that is pre-loaded with the compilation,Atari VCS Vault: Vol 1.[80] Additional titles, including a selection ofindie games and remakes of classicAtari games, can be purchased from the console's digital storefront.[81]
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