Sony has announced that the price of PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation portal consoles will be increasing globally, citing the “global economic landscape” as the reason for the higher price.
“With continued pressures in the global economic landscape, we’ve made the decision to increase the prices of PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player globally,” VP of global marketing, Isabelle Tomatis said in a blog post. “We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide.”
These new prices will come into effect starting April 2, 2026:
- PS5 — $649.99 (was $550)
- PS5 Digital Edition — $599.99 (was $500)
- PS5 Pro — $899.99 (was $750)
- PlayStation Portal — $250 (was $200)
Sony had previously increased PS5 prices by $50 in August 2025, but what’s causing the company to make its consoles even more expensive? There’s a variety of factors at play, ranging from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the AI-driven demand for components that has led to a memory shortage, and global markets taking a hit from the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.
The new price increase is substantially larger than previous ones, as the PS5 currently retails for $550 for a standard model with a disc drive, $500 for the Digital Edition, and $750 for the PS5 Pro.
Compared to previous generations, where the cost of video game hardware went down over time, the price has increased drastically over time. Prices for the PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S all went up in 2025, and reports indicate that poorer households–which make under $50,000 a year–only made up 19% of the buyers for gaming hardware in Q4 2025. Overall, the majority of consumers buying new hardware are from a smaller, richer base.
Speaking to GameSpot, Circana senior director and video game industry advisor Mat Piscatella revealed that gaming is increasingly becoming more of a luxury.
“According to Circana’s Checkout Receipt Panel service, 53% of video game hardware purchasing households during Q4 2025 had incomes of over $100k,” Piscatella said. “This percentage was only 40% during Q1 2022. So, the average household buying a new unit of video game hardware has been becoming more affluent, on average, over time. This goes hand in hand with a jump in the average price of video game hardware. According to Circana’s Retail Tracking Service, the average price paid for a new unit of video game hardware in the US was $247 in 2019. By 2025, the average price has jumped to $452.”
“These macroeconomic conditions are a massive challenge for not just video games, but all categories of discretionary spending like fashion or toys or tech. And if conditions continue to deteriorate, the challenges will only compound.”
Regions around the world will also have to deal with skyrocketing prices:
UK
- PS5 — £569.99
- PS5 Digital Edition — £519.99
- PS5 Pro — £789.99
- PlayStation Portal — £219.99
Europe
- PS5 — €649.99
- PS5 Digital Edition — €599.99
- PS5 Pro — €899.99
- PlayStation Portal — €249.99
Japan
- PS5 — ¥97,980
- PS5 Digital Edition — ¥89,980
- PS5 Pro — ¥137,980
- PlayStation Portal — ¥39,980
This story is developing.
