Xbox remains one of the most popular video game consoles in the world. Microsoft entered the console gaming market in 2001 with the original Xbox. Since then, the Xbox brand has evolved through several generations of hardware including the Xbox 360, Xbox One and most recently, the Xbox Series X and S.
But just how many people actually use Xbox in 2024? Let‘s take a closer look at the usage statistics to find out.
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Key Xbox User Statistics for 2024:
- There are over 100 million monthly active Xbox users worldwide as of January 2024.
- Around 51 million Xbox One consoles have been sold since launch in 2013.
- The Xbox Series X and S have sold over 15 million units since launching in late 2020.
- Xbox Live membership stands at over 120 million users.
- The highest Xbox user count was in November 2021, when Xbox consoles had 154 million monthly active users.
So in summary, there are well over 100 million active Xbox gamers worldwide today. The user base grew steadily over 2022 and remains strong in 2024.
Below we‘ll break down the data in more detail across each Xbox generation and look at broader industry trends.
A Brief History of Xbox Consoles and Sales
To understand Xbox usage today, it helps to look back at how each generation of Xbox consoles has performed in terms of units sold. Here is a quick history of Xbox console sales over the years:
Xbox (2001-2005)
- The original Xbox launched in November 2001.
- It sold around 24 million units by the time it was discontinued in 2006.
- Popular exclusives included Halo: Combat Evolved, Fable, Forza Motorsport and more.
Xbox 360 (2005-2016)
- The Xbox 360 launched in 2005 and went on to sell around 86 million units over its lifetime.
- Early models were plagued by high failure rates ("red ring of death"), but this was eventually resolved.
- Top exclusives included Gears of War, Halo 3, Bioshock and more. The Kinect accessory also helped boost sales.
Xbox One (2013-present)
- The Xbox One launched in November 2013.
- As of January 2024, around 51 million units have been sold.
- Xbox One sales declined faster than Xbox 360 due to strong competition from Sony‘s PS4.
- Top exclusives included the Forza Horizon series, Halo 5, Gears 5 and more. Backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games was a major feature.
Xbox Series X|S (2020-present)
- The latest generation Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launched in November 2020.
- As of January 2024, over 15 million units have been sold.
- The Series consoles feature cutting edge specs, super fast load times and seamless backward compatibility with Xbox One and many Xbox 360 games.
- Early exclusive titles included Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite and Psychonauts 2.
Overall Xbox console sales now total more than 175 million units life-to-date. And each generation has had its own popular exclusives to help drive engagement. Next let‘s look specifically at active users.
Xbox‘s Monthly Active Users 2016-2023
Microsoft reports Xbox monthly active users (MAU) as part of its gaming revenue metrics. This represents the number of people using an Xbox console or playing Xbox games on PC each month.
Here are the Xbox MAU figures over recent years:
- 2016 – 49 million
- 2017 – 53 million
- 2018 – 57 million
- 2019 – 65 million
- 2020 – 100 million
- 2021 – Over 154 million highest (November 2021)
- 2022 – Over 112 million average
- 2023 – Over 100 million (as of January 2024)
A few things stand out from these stats:
- The huge increase from 65 million to 100 million MAUs between 2019 and 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic led to gaming booms across the industry.
- Record high engagement in late 2021, with over 154 million MAU for Xbox consoles. Halo Infinite likely contributed here.
- Despite a pullback from the 2021 peak, MAUs remain strong at over 100 million as of early 2024.
So Xbox user engagement grew steadily up until the pandemic, saw record highs in late 2021, and while down from those peaks, remains well above pre-Covid levels. For context, PlayStation MAUs follow similar trends.
Next let‘s break down Xbox‘s gaming revenue over the years.
Microsoft‘s Gaming Revenue 2017-2022
While Microsoft doesn‘t break out unit sales numbers for Xbox anymore, its gaming revenue highlights how the platform continues to generate billions in annual sales.
Here is Microsoft‘s gaming revenue for Xbox content and services from 2017 through 2022:
- 2017 – $9.0 billion
- 2018 – $10.3 billion
- 2019 – $11.6 billion
- 2020 – $12.5 billion
- 2021 – $16.3 billion
- 2022 – $17.2 billion (estimated)
Revenue crossed the $10 billion threshold in 2018 as Xbox One sales accelerated and has continued climbing since. The pandemic again created a boost in 2020 and 2021. And 2022 saw further growth to over $17 billion as Xbox Series consoles drove software and services revenue higher.
Microsoft‘s gaming division now stands alongside Windows and Office as a major profit center, thanks largely to Xbox.
This revenue allows Microsoft to continue investing in content, services and new console development to attract and retain users in the future.
Next let‘s look specifically at U.S. gamer demographics and console ownership rates.
Video Game Console Ownership in the United States
According to research by the ESA, overall video game console ownership among Americans stands at:
- 162 million Americans age 2+ own a console
- 115 million Americans age 18-99 own a console
Breaking down by gender:
- 25.2 million males age 18-34 own a console
- 21.2 million females age 18-34 own a console
So consoles remain highly popular across genders and age groups. And there is plenty of room for user growth, considering the U.S. population is over 300 million.
In terms of Xbox specifically, Microsoft holds around a 30% share of the U.S. console market according to Ampere Analysis. For comparison, PlayStation holds around 60% share while Nintendo claims the remaining 10%.
Worldwide, Xbox and PlayStation each hold close to 50% share of the console gaming market. Nintendo makes up the rest.
Key Takeaways
To summarize the key stats:
- There are over 100 million active Xbox users worldwide today.
- Total lifetime Xbox console sales sit at over 175 million units.
- Monthly active users hit a record high of 154 million in late 2021.
- Microsoft‘s gaming revenue from Xbox now tops $17 billion annually.
- In the U.S., around 115 million people own a gaming console.
It‘s clear Xbox remains one of the top console gaming platforms globally. And with new exclusives, cloud gaming initiatives and the latest Xbox Series X/S consoles, Microsoft is positioned to maintain a leading share of the worldwide console market in 2024 and beyond.
