It seems Xbox releasing one of its biggest franchises on PS5 was actually a really good idea

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Summary

  • The PS5 release of Forza Horizon 5 earned Xbox over $100 million in revenue.
  • Forza selling well on PS5 signals the potential for other Xbox exclusives to make the switch.

Releasing “Forza Horizon 5” on the PlayStation 5 significantly boosted Xbox’s earnings, according to recent findings. The “Forza” series, historically an exclusive to Xbox, was moved to its main rival’s hardware in early 2025 as part of a strategic shift towards ending console exclusivity. This move appears to have been astute, with “Forza Horizon 5” on PlayStation 5 achieving massive success.

In December 2024, a significant portion of Microsoft’s gaming revenue – approximately 64% – was generated by PlayStation users, even before Forza appeared on Sony consoles. This was the month when Microsoft surpassed all other publishers to become the global leader in video games. Notably, the majority of these sales stemmed from franchises that Microsoft had acquired and were already available on PlayStation, yet this approach has also proven successful for their previously exclusive titles.

According to a report from Alinea Analytics on June 4th, Forza Horizon 5 was the highest-selling game on PlayStation in May 2025. This isn’t too shocking considering that Forza Horizon 5 attracted around 700,000 new players when it launched on PS5. However, the report from Alinea also unveiled more impressive figures. Since April, Forza has sold over 2.2 million copies on PS5, generating revenue estimated to be more than $100 million. In May alone, they sold 1.3 million copies. To put this into perspective, Elden Ring Nightreign came in second place for the month with sales of 752,000 copies, which is less than two-thirds the amount Forza managed to sell.

Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 Made Over $100 Million for Xbox

In May, Forza Horizon 5 wasn’t the only Microsoft game to crack the top five in PS5 sales; Minecraft secured fifth place with approximately 491,000 copies sold. Given Minecraft’s status as the best-selling video game ever and its availability on numerous platforms prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang, this isn’t surprising. However, it underscores the potential market for Xbox Game Studios and other Microsoft divisions among PlayStation users.

The strong performance of Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 might be a sign of things to come. It’s been whispered that Halo may appear on PS5, and this year, another previously Xbox-exclusive series, Gears of War, is expected to launch on PS5 as well. Given the success of Forza on Sony platforms, it could encourage Xbox to extend the same treatment to other in-house franchises, although it’s uncertain if they will do so with all their exclusives.

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2025-06-06 18:33