Years later, the PlayStation 2 is still the biggest-selling console of all time

Those who were around when the PlayStation 2 launched will know just how enormous this console was in terms of gaming impact. While later generations have only become more advanced and complex as the years have gone by, Sony’s second foray into the console market still reigns supreme, even after 20-odd years.

In fact, the PS2 still holds the title of the biggest-selling console of all time. According to Sony, the PlayStation follow-up —which was released in 2000 and recently celebrated its 24th anniversary —has sold more than 160,000,000 units worldwide.

To put that into perspective, the Nintendo DS – arguably one of the most successful handheld consoles in history – sold around 154 million units worldwide in its lifetime. That’s pretty close, but it does put it around six million units behind the PS2. However, the Switch – which is still going – is currently at over 146 million sales, Nintendo notes. There’s still time for the hybrid console to catch the PlayStation 2 up.

So(ny) many PlayStations!

The PlayStation 2 very much struck a chord with gamers at the start of the new millennium. With the machine itself featuring a DVD player – at a time when DVD sales were on the rise – not to mention a back catalog of games the size of a war budget, it was a console that was very much on the cutting edge.

Add onto that online capabilities, despite it perhaps not being a major selling factor for most back in the early 2000s, and you have a system that cemented Sony’s place in the gaming market.

Its longevity is also worthy of note. The PlayStation 2 was discontinued in 2013 after an impressive 13-year run. In fact, the last game to be released for it was FIFA 2014. That’s some pretty good staying power!

By comparison, the PS3 and Xbox 360 both lasted for about 11 years, which is still a pretty great run overall, but still means the PlayStation 2 has one of the (if not the) longest lifecycles of any home console, as well as being the best-selling. Does anyone else feel like we truly peaked back then?