PS6 Could Be Delayed Beyond 2028 as Sony Plans to Extend PS5 Life Cycle, Analyst Claims

The PlayStation 6 may be delayed beyond 2028 as Sony is said to be eyeing a longer life cycle for the PS5. That would mean the PS5 would have lasted at least eight years before the next generation of PlayStation consoles hit the market. Sony has usually put out a new-gen console every seven years since the PS3.

The claims of Sony potentially delaying the PS6 comes from David Gibson, senior analyst at MST Financial. In his Japan-focussed report on the gaming sector published earlier this month, Gibson shared insights on Sony's expected quarterly financial results and the PlayStation life cycle.

Sony is considering extending the PS5's life cycle, and PS6's release will likely be later than expected, Gibson noted.

“There's a high likelihood that the PS6 launch will occur after 2028,” the analyst said in the report. (via IGN).

PS5 Life Cycle Likely to be Extended

In the case that PS6 is launched in 2029, that would extend PS5's life cycle by at least an additional year. PS5 launched in November 2020 and is soon to be six years old. Since the PS3's launch in November 2006, Sony has released a new-generation home console every seven years — the PS4 in November 2013 and the PS5 in November 2020.

Based on the company's traditional release cadence and a few leaks, the PS6 has been widely rumoured to launch in late 2027. However, increasing memory and GPU prices and other market factors have led several industry insiders to believe that the release of the next generation of consoles may be pushed back.

In his report, Gibson also claimed that Sony Q3 FY 2025 earnings were expected to exceed market expectations, with sales of first and third-party games driving growth. The company's third-quarter sales and operating profit are expected to be JPY 1.8 trillion and JPY 160 billion, respectively. “Strong sales of Sony's and third-party game software are believed to have supported the performance in the third quarter,” Gibson said.

Sony will host its FY2025 Q3 earnings call on February 5, 2026.

PS6 and Next-Gen Xbox

This isn't the first time that claims of the PS6 getting delayed have been made. In December, an Insider Gaming reported that both Sony and Microsoft were considering delaying the PS6 and the next-gen Xbox amidst the ongoing RAM price hikes and shortage.

Skyrocketing demand for memory due to rapid expansion of AI data centres has left the consumer hardware market facing a dire shortage of RAM globally. Consequently, amidst dwindling supplies, RAM prices have increased manyfold.

Earlier leaks had placed PS6 and next-gen Xbox launches in 2027. KeplerL2, a reliable leaker, had claimed in October that Sony planned on launching the PS6 in 2027, “unless any unexpected delays happen".

Separately, Moore's Law is Dead, a YouTube channel noted for leaking gaming hardware news, had claimed that the next Xbox, which is believed to be a PC/console hybrid, was “targeting a 2027 launch”.

Neither Sony nor Microsoft have confirmed their plans for their respective next-generation consoles.