• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Japan’s Console Market at its Lowest Point in 24 Years

January 7, 2015 by Stephen Daly

Despite the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One in the country in 2014.

Sales of console hardware and software fell to their lowest point in 24 years in Japan during 2014.

Japanese gamers purchased fewer consoles and physical console games than at any point since 1990, when the SNES launched in the country, last year.

Despite the release of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Japan, sales figures from Famitsu, as translated by NeoGAF, show the extent of the decline. 

Total physical games sales for handhelds and home consoles generated 369 billion yen in 2014, down from a record of 688 billion yen in 2007. Unsurprisingly, the 3DS was the best selling console, shifting 3.1 million units. To date, 17.8 million 3DS systems have been sold in Japan. In second place was the PlayStation Vita, which was purchased by 1.1 million gamers, for a lifetime Japanese total of 3.4 million. 

It was a somewhat gloomier picture for home consoles, with the PS4 selling 925,000 units (18.5 million have been sold worldwide). The Wii U followed on 604,000 and the Xbox One lagged far behind on 45,900. 

Eight of the top selling games in Japan last year were 3DS titles, while the remaining two were Wii U games. The best selling game was Yo-kai Watch 2, a Level 5 RPG, which shifted more than three million copies. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire notched up 2.4 million. 

PC gaming has never been a massive force in Japan and digital console game sales remain low. Japanese gamers have flocked to mobile titles in recent years and it seems that this is an irreversible trend. 

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

Top 25 NEW Action RPGs of 2026

Top 25 NEW Action RPGs of 2026

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

Top 20 NEW PS5 Games of 2026

Top 20 NEW PS5 Games of 2026

10 Video Game Things That DIED in 2025

10 Video Game Things That DIED in 2025

20 Game REMAKES That We Are LOOKING FORWARD TO

20 Game REMAKES That We Are LOOKING FORWARD TO

10 Side Quests BETTER Than The Main Story

10 Side Quests BETTER Than The Main Story

Evolution of Bosses in Video Games

Evolution of Bosses in Video Games

Category: Updates

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • GTA Online: How to Get the Free Hands On Car Wash
  • GTA Online: KnoWay Out – Trash Talking
  • Roblox: 99 Nights in the Forest – Fairy Biome
  • Nintendo Museum Crosses Nice Visitor Milestone
  • Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa Shares Insight Into Upcoming Movie Rollout

Copyright © 2026 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme