Released 17 years ago, the PS3 has become one of the most important game consoles in Sony's history for several reasons. Despite its difficult start and complicated hardware, it eventually sold 87.4 million units, laying valuable experience for the development of subsequent generations of Sony consoles and allowing it to maintain its leading position in the industry.
Although the development process of PS3 has caused headaches for Sony, it is still loved by players today. Nearly 20 years later, Sony still says that the console has about 2 million monthly active users.
According to recently leaked documents, the PS3 has more than 1.9 million monthly active players. The document counts active users before February 2023, so the numbers may fluctuate thereafter.
However, this number is still mind-boggling considering the age of the PS3. One of the unique features of the PS3 is that it can play online games without any subscription, which also makes PS3 buyers occasionally return to the old console.
Multiplayer games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto IV can still be played on consoles, so finding games isn't difficult, although lobbies are often disrupted by hackers.
Due to the console's unique Cell architecture, many of its exclusive games cannot be played elsewhere. Games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and God of War: Ascension have yet to be remastered, so for players who want to re-experience or try them out for the first time, the PS3 is the only viable option.