PlayStation 6 release date is likely to be delayed longer than forecasts suggest, analyst says
Sony will look to extend the PS5 lifecycle for longer, it’s claimed.
The release date of PlayStation 6 is likely to come later than most forecasts have suggested, according to a data analyst.
David Gibson, senior analyst at MST Financial, posted a report on his insights on Sony Group’s performance and likely future decisions, via its member company Sandstone Insights Japan.
According to Gibson’s report (via machine translation), Sony’s sales in Q3 of its financial year – for the entire Sony Group, not just its games division – are projected to be ¥1.8 trillion ($11.7 billion), with operating profit at ¥160 billion ($1.04 billion).
In terms of the games division, Gibson wrote that he believes strong sales of first-party and third-party game software supported the company’s third-party performance, and that as a result its Game & Network Services segment remained strong for the quarter.
As a result, he said its third-quarter results “are expected to beat market expectations, driven by sales of both in-house and third-party games”.
Crucially, Gibson also stated that he believes the PlayStation 5‘s successor isn’t likely to release any time soon, and that previous forecasts on its release window may not be accurate.
“Sony expects the PS5’s lifecycle to be extended, and the PS6’s release is likely to be delayed longer than many expected” he claimed.
Further reading
Sony has yet to give any indication of when players can expect the PlayStation 6 to be released, but it has already started discussing it publicly in vague terms.
In October 2025, PlayStation 5 lead architect Mark Cerny sat down with the SVP and GM of AMD’s computing and graphics group, Jack Huynh, to discuss the latest developments from Project Amethyst, a collaboration between both companies to use machine learning based technology for graphics and gameplay.
Discussing three gaming technology breakthroughs that they believe will lead to benefits in the games industry, Cerny briefly made a reference to a potential PS6.
“Overall, of course, it’s still very early days for these technologies,” Cerny said. “They only exist in simulation right now, but the results are quite promising and I’m really excited about bringing them to a future console in a few years’ time.”
