In a gaming landscape increasingly dominated by cross-platform titles, Sony’s PlayStation 5 exclusive Astro Bot has defied expectations with a remarkably strong commercial debut. The charming 3D platformer, developed by Sony’s Japan Studio, has not only captured the hearts of critics but has also resonated strongly with consumers, achieving impressive sales figures in its first week of release. This success comes at a crucial time for Sony, as the company seeks to bolster its lineup of exclusive titles to maintain the PlayStation 5’s competitive edge. Astro Bot’s performance is particularly noteworthy given the fierce competition it faced during its launch week, including the release of the perennially popular NBA 2K25.
Solid Commercial Start in the US
According to research firm Circana, Astro Bot had a “solid” commercial start in the US. The PS5 exclusive was the second best-selling game during its launch week, trailing only NBA 2K25, which 2K released on the same day for PC, current and last-gen consoles.
Across both physical & digital, Astro Bot ranked 2nd in unit sales in the US for w/e Sept 7th (behind only NBA 2K25), and the Astro Bot DualSense was the week’s best-selling accessory,” Mat Piscatella, executive director, video games at Circana, said on Bluesky. “Solid week 1.”
UK Performance
GamesIndustry.biz head Chris Dring also reported that Astro Bot had enjoyed a “solid” UK launch.
“First week sales are 21% higher than the debut of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in 2021,” he wrote on X. “Astro was No.2 last week behind Space Marine 2, which is the UK’s fastest-selling Warhammer game (beating Total War: Warhammer 3).”
Critical Acclaim
Astro Bot has been critically acclaimed, earning it a score of 94 on review aggregation site Metacritic. VGC’s Astro Bot review called it “the best 3D platformer in a decade”.
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