Sony is Apparently Testing Different Prices for AAA Games on the PlayStation Store

It appears Sony is doing some price testing with AAA games on the PlayStation Store, with some PlayStation owners seeing major titles being listed at a slight discount compared to other geographical locations. The company is reportedly even testing new pricing for its first-party PlayStation 5 games.

Dynamic pricing is a hotly debated topic. The practice includes adjusting the prices of products depending on consumer demand, which could have some people spending less on products while other consumers are forced to spend more. It’s shown up in the video game industry before, such as when Embark Studios discounted Arc Raiders for some players and not others to account for economic hardship. In that instance, it at least seems like Embark was trying to make its product more accessible to players experiencing different economic states. However, in other cases, dynamic pricing, like if used in a grocery store, could be viewed as a predatory practice. This is also not the first time players have noticed Sony trying out different prices for its products.

Players Might See a Lower Price for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Red Dead Redemption 2

According to psprices, a site that tracks the cost of various titles on the PlayStation Store, Sony has been testing prices for games since November. However, it was recently discovered that Sony has expanded its price testing to a higher number of regions and products, including some of its first-party exclusives. These AAA titles include God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, and Helldivers 2. Psprices found that Sony’s price experiment now covers 139 games in 68 regions. The testing was discovered by monitoring various prices, and detecting a code snippet that reads, “IPT_PILOT, IPT_OPR_TESTING.” GameRant reached out to Sony to confirm the test, but the company did not respond in time for publication.

Psprices listed tracked prices of Sony’s first-party titles and their discounted price found in Germany, but it seems to extend to other regions as well:

Additionally, Sony isn’t just looking into which base price for games connects with the most consumers. It’s also testing different discount percentages in different regions. For example, during its February sale, some regions saw a 25% discount for Helldivers 2 while others saw discounts as high as 56%. In this case, it doesn’t seem like Sony is testing dynamic pricing, as the price isn’t fluctuating according to demand. Instead, the company seems to be engaging in an A/B test experiment, trying to see which pair of discounts and base prices translate to higher product sales. In addition to adjusting its prices, Sony has recently cracked down on scam games appearing on the store.

In the United States, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is listed as $55.89, down from $69.99. It’s not listed as being discounted, and instead appears as $55.89 being the standard base price for the game. Similarly, Red Dead Redemption 2 is listed as $53.99 and Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 is listed as $62.99. The price testing by Sony is just the most recent adjustment it has made to pricing on its store. Sony recently added a feature to the PlayStation Store that displays the price the game launched at, making it easier for players to see how much they’re saving for a given purchase.

The pricing test isn’t inherently a bad thing, at least not yet. It could lead to higher discounts or lower base prices for major titles. However, it does seem like a step in the dynamic pricing direction. Sony isn’t testing higher prices (yet), which is a factor of dynamic pricing that contributes to consumers viewing it as a predatory practice. Right now, the company is merely testing if the lower base price for its products and greater discounts lead to more sales. In the last few months, Sony has also made refunding games easier on its store. While it’s always best to approach price changes skeptically, for now, at least, it doesn’t seem like price testing is a major cause for alarm.

Released

February 4, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity

Developer(s)

Warhorse Studios