Summary

  • Astro Bot's week one sales in the US were very strong, as the PlayStation platformer ranked second in unit sales across physical and digital formats.
  • Over in the UK, Astro Bot's launch sales were 21% higher than Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's debut, and it became the second fastest-selling platformer after Mario in the last 10 years.
  • Since Astro Bot was developed in three years by a smaller team, its budget and profitability threshold are most likely lower than PlayStation's more expensive AAA first-party titles.

Some recently published data shows that Astro Bot has recorded very impressive sales during its first week in the US and UK. Although Astro Bot accrued glowing reviews across the board, its commercial performance has been hard to judge as PlayStation hasn't released any official sales numbers for the Team Asobi platformer yet.

Fans were alarmed a few days ago when Japanese sales data suggested a soft launch for Astro Bot, with the game only selling 12,700 physical copies at retail. Many assumed that the recent PS5 price hike in Japan was the reason behind Astro Bot's somewhat muted commercial reception, as the console also took a nosedive on the sales charts. However, since this number doesn't include digital sales, it isn't indicative of broader sales trends for Astro Bot.

Astro Bot Japan Sales
Sales Report is Bad News for Astro Bot

Astro Bot is a critical hit with PlayStation 5 fans, but a recent sales report spells some troubling news for the charming mascot platformer.

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Now, newly published sales data from US tracking firm Circana's executive director, Mat Piscatella, shows that Astro Bot's week one sales are much better than some may have expected. Piscatella revealed in a recent Bluesky post that for the week ending September 7, Astro Bot ranked second in unit sales across both physical and digital formats. The top spot was claimed by NBA 2K25, but considering how popular sports games are among the more casual players, Astro Bot's sales performance is very strong. Interestingly, the Astro Bot DualSense controller was also the top-selling accessory during the same timeframe.

Astro Bot Scores Big Commercial Wins in the UK

However, the good news doesn't end there, as GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring remarked on Twitter that Astro Bot managed a "solid" launch in the UK as well. Not only did Astro Bot's sales track 21% ahead of 2021's Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, but Dring also confirmed in a follow-up tweet that Astro Bot is the fastest-selling original platformer IP outside of Mario in the last decade, beating the likes of iconic names like Sonic, Kirby, Crash Bandicoot, and more. Overall, Astro Bot was only toppled by Space Marine 2's sales performance in the UK, which is quite respectable.

Since Astro Bot was made by a 65-person team and took three years to develop, its budget is almost certainly nowhere near the hundreds of millions that many other PlayStation first-party games cost. Therefore, Astro Bot's bar for profitability should also be much lower. Hopefully, Sony is pleased internally with how Astro Bot's sales are holding up globally and considers investing in more small and creatively dense games like it. An Astro Bot sequel may have also been confirmed, but only time will tell what Team Asobi has planned.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Astro Bot Tag Page Cover Art
10 /10

Astro Bot
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Platformer
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Systems
PlayStation-1
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Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
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Released
September 6, 2024
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
Developer(s)
Team Asobi
Publisher(s)
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Engine
Proprietary Engine
Franchise
Astro Bot
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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JOIN ASTRO IN A BRAND-NEW, SUPERSIZED SPACE ADVENTURE

The PS5® mothership has been wrecked, leaving ASTRO and the bot crew scattered all over the galaxies. Time to ride your trusty Dual Speeder across more than 50 planets full of fun, danger and surprises. On your journey, make the most of ASTRO’s new powers and reunite with many iconic heroes from the PlayStation universe! 

Blast off on a supersized adventure

From sandy beaches to lush jungles and piping-hot volcanoes, explore a myriad of memorable planets in search of Astro’s lost crew!

Power up your platforming

With your new powers, battle out a whole new roster of quirky baddies and huge bosses. Feel every hop, punch and crack through your DualSense wireless controller.

Join the PlayStation celebration

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Platform(s)
PlayStation 5
Genre(s)
Platformer
PS Plus Availability
N/A