Best-selling consoles of 1996
The PlayStation was the best-selling console of 1996, with about 7.5 million units sold worldwide, ahead of the Nintendo 64 (2.2 million) and the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis (511,476).
Every system in 1996
Units sold worldwide from January 1 to December 31, 1996, with each system's share of the tracked total and its change on 1995.
| # | System | Maker | Units in 1996 | Share | vs 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  PlayStation | 7.52M | 71% | +142% | |
| 2 |  Nintendo 64 | 2.24M | 21% | New | |
| 3 |  Sega Mega Drive / Genesis | 511,476 | 5% | – | |
| 4 |  Nintendo Virtual Boy | 272,835 | 3% | −45% | |
| 5 |  Atari Jaguar | 9,935 | 0% | −60% |
A year's units are the difference between each console's curve at the start and the end of the year: the makers' published cumulative totals, with a straight line between two of them. Systems without published figures around 1996 are left out, so the tracked total is not the whole market.
Frequently asked questions
What was the best-selling console of 1996?
The PlayStation, with about 7.5 million units sold worldwide, ahead of the Nintendo 64 (2.2 million) and the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis (511,476). Units per year are estimated from the makers' published totals.
How many consoles were sold in 1996?
The 5 systems with enough published figures for 1996 add up to about 10.5 million units. Systems without figures around 1996 are left out, so the whole market was larger.
How did the PlayStation do in 1996 compared with 1995?
It sold about 7.5 million units in 1996, against about 3.1 million in 1995.
Figures can measure shipments, customer sales or estimates; these are not directly interchangeable. Between reports our model projects an estimate, not observed transactions. The changing digits show the model's output, not its accuracy. Its inputs and assumptions are corrected when new figures are available. Sources and method