The Ultimate PlayStation History Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
The Ultimate PlayStation History Quiz
Image: Philip Sowels/Future Publishing via Getty Images

About This Quiz

After more than two decades on the market, the PlayStation has captured the attention of multiple generations of gamers. Take our quiz to see how much your know about the history and development of this classic console system.
The PlayStation was first designed as a companion to this gaming console.
Sony Dreamcast
Super Nintendo
Sega Genesis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sony originally designed the PlayStation as a CD-ROM companion to the SNES. The new system would play both discs and standard SNES cartridges.

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When did the PlayStation first hit store shelves in Japan?
1990
1992
1994
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shoppers lined up when the first PlayStation was released in Japan on Dec. 3, 1994.

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How many PlayStations did Sony sell in the first month after release?
30,000
300,000
3,000,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sony sold more than 300,000 PlayStations during the first month of release, despite stiff competition from the Sega Saturn, which came out a week earlier than the PlayStation.

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What year did the PlayStation hit store shelves in the U.S.?
1993
1994
1995
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation launched Sept. 9, 1995 in the U.S., with more than 100,000 units presold on launch day. By the time the unit hit the U.S., Sony had already sold more than a million consoles in Japan.

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How many games were available for the PlayStation when it was first released?
17
97
157
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Players had just 17 games to choose from in the fall of 1995. By Christmas of 1996, the catalog had expanded to include more than 200 games.

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What was the best-selling game for the original PlayStation console?
"Grand Theft Auto"
"Gran Turismo"
"Final Fantasy"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Players bought more than 10.85 million copies of "Gran Turismo," making it the best-selling game for the first PlayStation console.

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What year did Sony discontinue the original PlayStation?
1998
2004
2008
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation was discontinued in 2004 after selling more than 100 million units 'round the world.

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The PS One came with a built-in screen.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PS One came out in 2000 and represented a smaller and cheaper alternative to the original PlayStation. Gamers could purchase a separate LCD screen to make the unit fairly portable.

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What year was the PlayStation 2 released?
1998
1999
2000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation 2 came out in March 2000 in Japan and reached the U.S. by October that same year.

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How many PlayStation 2 consoles did Sony ultimately sell?
50 million
150 million
500 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

By the time the PlayStation 2 was discontinued in January 2013, Sony had sold more than 150 million units.

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What year did the PlayStation 3 come out?
2004
2006
2008
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation 3 came out in November 2006 in both Japan and the U.S. and was the first console to offer Blu-ray and high-def 1080p video.

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The PS3 was the most expensive of the seventh generation consoles when it was released.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Priced between $500 and $600, the PlayStation 3 cost $100 more than the Xbox 360 and more than twice as much as the Nintendo Wii when it was first released.

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How many PlayStation 3 consoles did Sony sell by the time it released the PlayStation 4?
40 million
60 million
80 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sony sold 80 million PS3 units by the time the PS4 was released. While this number is relatively high, it's well under the number of consoles shipped for the PlayStation and PS2.

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What year did Sony release the first portable version of the PlayStation?
2003
2005
2007
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation Portable, or PSP, came out in 2005 and was designed to store photos and play multimedia, as well as play games.

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What year did the PlayStation 4 launch?
2011
2012
2013
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sony launched the PS4 in November 2013. Within two years, the company had sold more than 30 million units.

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How many games were ultimately released for the PlayStation 2?
100
1,000
10,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Game makers were still releasing PlayStation 2 games a decade after the system was launched. Eventually, the game catalog for PS2 grew to more than 10,000 titles.

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What was the best-selling PS2 game of all time?
"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"
"SSX"
"Final Fantasy X"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Released in Oct. 2004, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" sold more than 18 million units to become the top-selling PS2 game.

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What was the first PlayStation console to allow online gaming?
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation 2 was the first console to allow online gaming, though it required an optional accessory.

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The PlayStation 3 sold more units than any other seventh generation console.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Sony sold almost 80 million PS3s — about the same as the Xbox 360 — the Nintendo Wii outsold both with sales of 100 million units.

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Which of these features was lost between the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3?
ability to play DVDs
backwards compatibility with games
use of DualShock controllers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While the PlayStation 2 was backwards compatible — you could use it to play PlayStation games — the PS3 lost this feature.

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When did Sony launch the PlayStation Network?
2002
2004
2006
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sony launched the PlayStation Network along with the PlayStation 3 in 2006. The network allowed for multi-player, online gaming on the PS3, PSP and future consoles.

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When did DualShock controllers come out?
1998
2002
2006
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Players could find DualShock controllers for the original PlayStation way back in 1998.

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What did PlayStation call its motion-sensing controller?
Move
Play
Watch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PS3 came with motion-sensing technology, as well as a special controller called the PlayStation Move.

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Which system featured the tagline, "Live in Your World, Play in Ours?"
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This slogan, which used shapes from the game controller to replace certain letters, was used to sell the PlayStation 2.

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How many PlayStation 2 units did Sony sell in the first two years after release?
40 million
60 million
80 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Buyers picked up more than 40 million PS2 units in the first two years of release, making it the fastest-selling console of all time.

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How many PlayStation 4 units did Sony sell over the 2015 to 2016 Christmas holidays?
3.7 million
5.7 million
7.7 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sony sold 5.7 million PS4 consoles over the 2015 to 2016 holiday season, By January 2016, more than 35 million units had been sold.

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What is the best-selling game for the PlayStation 4 as of 2016?
"Grand Theft Auto V"
"Call of Duty: Black Ops III"
"Bloodborne"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A "Call of Duty" game has topped the list of best-selling console games since 2009, with "Black Ops III" taking the top spot in both 2014 and 2015.

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What did Sony call its new portable gaming system, which was released in 2012?
Vila
Vida
Vita
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The PlayStation Vita is a remake of the PSP and was released Feb. 22, 2012.

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You can play PS2 disks in your PS4.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can't play your old disks in a PS4, but Sony did confirm in late 2015 that it was working on a PS2 game emulator for use in the PS4.

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The PlayStation VR is designed for use with the PS4.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In early 2016, Sony announced that the new virtual reality VR would be launched for use with the PS4, with an initial catalog of 50 games designed to work with the new headset.

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You Got:
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Philip Sowels/Future Publishing via Getty Images