Sony just announced something that is going to affect the console market a lot. They have officially confirmed a price increase for the PlayStation 5 lineup, marking yet another shift in what has already been an unusually expensive console generation. This price increase will affect the PS5, PS5 Pro, and PS Portal.
According to Sony’s official announcement, the new prices for the entire PS5 lineup will take effect starting from April 2, 2026. From then on, all the PS5’s sold will be at the new, increased price.
This marks the second price hike in less than a year, following a $50 increase in 2025, something that remains highly unusual in the gaming industry, where hardware traditionally becomes cheaper over time rather than more expensive.
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PS5 Prices Increase Significantly
The price increase is quite significant; it’s not a $50 increase like in 2025. This time around, they are really bumping up the price. Here are the PS5 price increases in the USA.
- PS5: From $549 to $649
- PS5 Digital: From $499 to $599
- PS5 Pro: From $749 to $899
- PS Portal: From $199 to $249
The base PS5 and PS5 Digital are now $100 more expensive, but the highlight is the PS5 Pro, which is getting a $150 increase. The PS5 Pro was already criticized on release for being too expensive, so this change is not going to be taken lightly by the community. Other regions have also gotten significant price increases.
U.K.
- PS5 – £569.99
- PS5 Digital Edition – £519.99
- PS5 Pro – £789.99
Europe
- PS5 – €649.99
- PS5 Digital Edition – €599.99
- PS5 Pro – €899.99
Japan
- PS5 Pro – ¥137,980
- PS5 – ¥97,980
- PS5 Digital Edition – ¥89,980
The reasoning behind the increase largely comes down to rising component costs, particularly memory chips. The ongoing boom in artificial intelligence has caused data centers to basically bulk buy memory chips, causing a massive increase in price.
While these challenges are affecting the entire tech industry, the impact feels especially significant in gaming. Consoles have historically been positioned as relatively affordable entry points into gaming. But this RAM hoarding is changing that very quickly.
For now, though, the takeaway is simple: PlayStation 5 is more expensive than ever. Whether that impacts demand or simply becomes the new normal for gaming hardware remains to be seen.
Published: Mar 27, 2026 11:30 am