The PS5 Digital Edition now costs even more in the UK and other territories, as it becomes more expensive than the Nintendo Switch 2.
The PlayStation 5 might be selling at a similar pace to the PlayStation 4, but a large portion of Sony’s audience still hasn’t made the jump to the next generation.
There are several reasons for this, between the lack of PlayStation 5 exclusives, the fact that many people who simply want to play Fortnite and Minecraft have no need to upgrade, and the less noticeable technological leap between consoles.
Another key factor is perhaps the price, and while you might think Sony would announce a price cut five years into the generation, it has actually done the opposite.
As announced on the PlayStation blog, Sony has bumped up the price of the PlayStation 5 digital edition in the UK by £40 from £389.99 to £429.99, starting from today (April 14). There is no change to the standard version with a disc drive, which costs £479.99, or the PS5 Pro.
This price increase has also rolled out across Europe, where the digital edition now costs €50 more at €499.99.
Australia and New Zealand are the worst affected with price hikes across both the digital and standard edition consoles. In Australia, the digital version now costs $749.95 (up from $649.95) while the standard edition costs $829.95 (up from $799.95). In New Zealand, each console now costs $859.95 and $949.95 respectively.
To soften the bad news, Sony has decreased the price of the PlayStation 5 disc drive from £99.99 to £69.99. In Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, the disc drive now costs €79.99, $124.95, and $139.95 respectively.
This is the second time Sony has rolled out a price increase for the PlayStation 5. In 2022, the cost of the digital edition went up by £30, so the price has jumped £70 in total over the past three years. Incredibly, neither of these increases have impacted the US (for now, at least).
On the PlayStation blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s vice president of global marketing, Isabelle Tomatis, said: ‘With a backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates, Sony Interactive Entertainment has made the tough decision to raise the recommended retail price of the PlayStation 5 console in select markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia, and New Zealand.’
While it isn’t mentioned explicitly, the timing strongly suggests this is connected to the rising US import costs. A PlayStation 5 price increase for the US hasn’t yet been announced, but it would be surprising if one isn’t on the way.
Speaking to CNBC, games industry analyst Serkan Toto said: ‘I would be very surprised if Sony was able to keep the PlayStation prices in the US stable. Now is the ‘right’ time for the company to hike prices because user backlash would be comparably limited.
‘So yes, I expect Sony to raise prices in the US eventually, once it’s at least a bit more clear where exactly tariffs are headed.’
As noted in Sony’s financial report from February, the company has stockpiled ‘a certain level of strategic inventory in the US’ to counter any proposed tariffs – so a price increase might not come into effect in the region until this stock runs out.
If these tariffs persist, they could have a significant impact on the price of the PlayStation 6, which is rumoured to launch in 2027.
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