If you play or have played games on an Xbox console before, or if you’re simply interested in console gaming, you’ll want to hear some of the Xbox statistics we have in store for you.
Locked in an eternal struggle with its competitor, the PlayStation console, Xbox’s popularity has varied over time. Naturally, the success of every Xbox console was, to a certain extent, tied to how well Sony’s console was doing. In this piece, you’ll find many numbers and stats that will help you understand the console better and perhaps even appreciate it more.
Top 10 Xbox Statistics and Facts
- Microsoft hardware revenue jumped by 86% in 2020.
- Xbox software and service revenue grew by 40% year-over-year in 2021.
- Microsoft sold almost 50 million Xbox One consoles until November 2020.
- Of the 85.8 million Xbox 360 units sold, over 50% were sold in North America.
- The latest Xbox player count, registered at the end of 2020, was 100 million.
- There are 16.7 million PUBG players on Xbox One.
- 17.8 million Xbox users play World of Tanks.
- The value of free games given to Xbox Gold level members was $1,083.
- Xbox One facts suggest that 32.2% of PS4 owners also have an Xbox One.
- The first Xbox console sold over 24 million copies in the five years.
Important Xbox Statistics in 2022 Regarding Revenue
Do you want to learn how much Microsoft makes from its Xbox consoles and services? You can get that info and more from the stats below.
1. Microsoft hardware revenue jumped by 86% in 2020, the latest Xbox statistics state.
(Windows Central)
The numbers released by Microsoft are for the second quarter of the fiscal 2021 year. A significant portion of the uptick in sales can be attributed to the success of Xbox Series X/S consoles released in November 2020.
However, one of the interesting facts about the Xbox is that the company is having a hard time meeting the demand. This means that it would likely be seeing a much bigger increase if that weren’t the case.
2. Xbox software and service revenue grew by 40% year-over-year in 2021, Microsoft’s Xbox stats say.
(Windows Central)
The numbers are for Microsoft’s second quarter of their 2021 fiscal year.
According to Xbox account stats, the company attributes this growth primarily to first-party and third-party game releases and the many new Xbox Game Pass memberships.
3. Microsoft sold almost 50 million Xbox One consoles until November 2020, according to Xbox One stats.
(Statista)
An interesting detail about this stat is that the total number of Xbox One consoles sold increased significantly from December 2017 until November 2020.
More precisely, from 25.4 million to 48.69 million, even though the first Xbox One console was released in 2013 according to the historical Xbox one release stats.
4. Of the 85.8 million Xbox 360 consoles sold globally, more than 50% were in North America, 2020 Xbox 360 stats say.
(Statista)
The amount is important for overall Xbox numbers, as Xbox 360 is still the most popular Xbox console of all time, by far.
As for the remaining units sold, the same Xbox stats for 2020 tell us that 25.87 million were sold in Europe and 1.66 million in Japan only. On the other hand South America, the rest of Asia, Africa, and Oceania bought the remaining 9.16 million.
5. According to Xbox stats, Microsoft’s gaming revenues grew by 64% during the early months of the pandemic.
(Windows Central)
The revenue growth is mainly attributed to the Xbox lineup of consoles and games. These Xbox facts are part of Microsoft’s financials for the last quarter of their 2020 fiscal year, and they represent $1.3 billion in actual revenue.
Interesting Xbox Statistics on Games and Players
There are many popular games on the Xbox, so if you ever wanted to know the exact number of players on the most popular ones, keep reading.
6. The latest Xbox player count, registered at the end of 2020, was 100 million.
(Statista)
Judging by the fact that there were only 65 million users at the end of 2019, this represents a significant increase. It also shows the enormous popularity of the latest Xbox consoles.
However, bear in mind that these Xbox Live statistics represent the monthly active users of Xbox Live, so the total number of players could be much higher.
7. According to the latest Xbox PUBG stats from November 2020, there are 16.7 million PUBG players on Xbox One.
(GMRPC)
The game has sold over 70 million copies, so this is undoubtedly a significant achievement for Xbox.
This is especially true when you consider that there are only 8.1 million PUBG players on PS4, putting the PUBG Xbox stats way ahead. However, bear in mind that these stats are only estimates.
8. The latest WoT Xbox stats state that there are 17.8 million World of Tanks players on Xbox.
(Gamestat)
These numbers are for both Xbox One and Xbox 360, as the game is played on both consoles.
Despite such a high number of players, the same World of Tanks Xbox stats tell us that there are only 370,000 monthly active players of the notable war game.
9. Some interesting Xbox Overwatch stats from the end of 2020 tell us that 13 million players play the game.
(Gamestat)
Overwatch has been available to players for half a decade, but its popularity is still relatively high if we believe these numbers.
What’s more, the same Overwatch stats for Xbox consoles say that 10% of this number are active players, i.e., those who play every month.
10. There are 8.4 million Smite players on Xbox today, the latest Smite stats for Xbox One say.
(Gamestat)
Smite is a popular MOBA game that’s been on Xbox One since 2015. It’s still fairly popular on the console, judging by the fact that there are around 460,000 monthly active users based on the latest Smite stats for Xbox.
11. The retail value of games given for free to Xbox Live Gold level members was $1,083, the latest Xbox end–of–year stats for 2020 say.
(Statista)
For those who don’t know how valuable the Gold level is on Xbox Live, now you do. The same Xbox Live stats tell us that this total retail value was $930 in 2016 and $1,029 in 2017.
Then, it took a significant dip to $850 in 2018, but it rose to as much as $1,197 in 2019.
Other Exciting Xbox Facts and History of the Console
The past of the Xbox world is just as exciting as the present. That’s why we have a few interesting stats that we believe you’ll like.
12. The latest PS4 vs. Xbox One stats say that PlayStation is the winner on the console market, with a 66.7% market share.
(StatCounter)
Unfortunately for Xbox, PlayStation is still winning the console wars as it holds two-thirds of the console market. This percentage has only been rising since the latest consoles came out.
According to the same Microsoft Xbox stats, Xbox currently holds 33.29%, while Nintendo has an insignificant 0.05% share.
13. The first Xbox console, the ubiquitous Xbox, sold over 24 million copies in the five years it was in circulation.
(Altar of Gaming)
These Xbox yearly stats are impressive, especially since Xbox entered a very competitive market in 2001. It was then dominated by PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, and GameCube.
However, Microsoft still managed to sell 550,000 consoles in just the first week of the release.
14. According to Xbox controller facts coming straight from Microsoft, the Xbox One controller can last for around ten years.
(CNET)
Microsoft constantly tests its controllers, and the old Xbox One controller was not an exception. It managed to handle around three million button presses until it stopped working.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the same facts about the new Xbox console, but it will likely work for just as long, if not longer.
15. The failure rates for the infamous Xbox 360 console were reportedly 30–33%.
(Design News)
The facts about the Xbox 360 from the media placed the failure rates between 23.7% and 54.2%, but Microsoft stuck to its supposed 3–5% failure rate. The actual number is undoubtedly much higher, as the ubiquitous red ring of death cost the company more than $1 billion.
On top of that, we don’t have any exact Xbox player stats about an overwhelming number of people complaining about this error.
16. If you want to know more Xbox One facts and secrets, consider that Xbox Live now runs on 300,000 servers.
(The Fact Site)
Now that’s some serious computing power, one that was carefully garnered to make the newest Xbox console work flawlessly.
To understand the significance of that number, keep in mind that this amount of computing power is more than the entire world had back in 1999!
17. Xbox One facts suggest that the console wars are somewhat pointless, as 32.2% of PS4 owners also have an Xbox One.
(Gamasutra)
If that wasn’t enough, the same stats on Xbox One demographics state that as many as 18.5% of PlayStation 4 owners also keep the Xbox One X in their homes.
Many think that a quality gaming experience is more important than choosing one brand over the other. Regardless, with over 3.1 million gamers worldwide, we can only see continuous growth and interest.
Conclusion
So, were these Xbox statistics interesting to you? Did you find some fact or number particularly fascinating? Let us know down below, and feel free to leave a suggestion or feedback of any kind, especially if you know an exciting fact that we might have missed.
FAQ
How many types of Xbox are there?
Xbox consoles have been a part of our lives since 2001 when Microsoft released the original Xbox. Ever since then, it has made a total of nine consoles.
After the initial Xbox console from 2001, Microsoft has also released Xbox 360 (2005), Xbox 360 S (2010), Xbox 360 E (2013), Xbox One (2013), Xbox One S (2016), Xbox One X (2017), Xbox Series X (2020), and Xbox Series S (2020).
How much did Xbox make in 2020?
Microsoft as a whole made a record-altering $43.1 billion in revenue in 2020, while the company’s profits were $15 billion.
As for specific Xbox numbers, Microsoft is not always forthcoming with its figures. It mainly releases percentages, but it seems that Xbox revenue was $12.4 billion.
Who has more sales, Xbox or PS5?
The good news for both Xbox and PS5 fans is that both consoles have been selling more than well since their release.
According to the latest numbers released by Sony, the PS5 has sold 7.8 million copies by the end of March 2021.
Microsoft rarely releases any Xbox sales statistics. Still, according to analysts, the company has sold around 2.8 million Xbox Series X copies by February, vs. 4.2–4.5 million PS5s sold during the same period.
PS5 is winning the race at the moment, but there’s no telling what will happen in the future.
What are the top 10 games on Xbox?
It’s hard to determine what the top games are for any console. You can look at their popularity, the scores they got from critics or the numbers of units sold.
Below, you will find the answer based on the number of units sold, as it’s the only result that’s the least likely to change quickly, making it the most meaningful.
So, according to the latest Xbox game stats, the top 10 games by the number of units sold are:
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Minecraft
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Battlefield 1
- Fallout 4
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Most Call of Duty games and Halo 5 are popular esports as well, with their own tournaments. Even though esports is not overly popular on Xbox and other consoles, the industry is still part of a bigger market that’s predicted to have around 300 million viewers in 2023.
What are the different levels of Xbox Live?
At the moment, there are only two levels of membership on Xbox Live — Free and Gold.
The Free level used to be called Silver, and it’s entirely free but has limited features. The Gold level costs $9.99 per month or $25 for three months. It comes with a whole host of features.
What is the rarest Xbox?
There are many rare and extremely expensive consoles. However, the rarest Xbox console is likely the Shadow Of the Tomb Raider Xbox One X.
Only one was made, and Microsoft auctioned it off to raise funds for a charity called Best Friends. It’s now likely worth around $8,300.