If you've been sitting on the fence about picking up a PS5, the clock is officially ticking. Sony has announced that updated prices for PS5 consoles will take effect starting April 2, 2026.The price hikes will be felt across all models in the lineup, including the standard PS5, priced at $649.99, the Digital Edition, priced at $599.99, the PS5 Pro, priced at $899.99, and the PlayStation Portal Remote Player, priced at $249.99. That's a tough pill to swallow for anyone who's been carefully saving up or waiting for a deal that, at this point, clearly isn't coming.
Sony's logic, at least on the surface, suggests the state of the world economy in general. Isabelle Tomatis, the vice president of global marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment, spoke of the continued pressures in the global economic landscape as the reason behind the closure. This likely refers to the ongoing RAM shortage and the impact of trade tariffs that have been squeezing hardware manufacturers across the board. It's the kind of corporate language that's technically accurate but does little to comfort the everyday gamer staring at a nearly $900 price tag on the PS5 Pro.
Key Takeaways
- If you've been sitting on the fence about picking up a PS5, the clock is officially ticking.
- Sony's logic, at least on the surface, suggests the state of the world economy in general.
- The bitter taste of this is made even worse by the timing.
The bitter taste of this is made even worse by the timing. It’s not even a year since Sony announced a price hike across all PS5 consoles by $50 in August 2025 , and now they're doubling down with increases of $100 on the standard models and a steep $150 increase on the Pro model. Since its introduction in 2020, the PS5 is now $150 more expensive than its initial price, whereas the PS5 Pro model is $200 more expensive than its initial price of $699.99. Consoles are supposed to get cheaper as they age not the other way around.
The broader gaming environment is not helping PS's cause either. Xbox has taken similar steps by increasing prices for its Series X/S consoles and its Game Pass service. The Switch 2 has also entered the market at a premium $450. However, Sony is in a particularly awkward position right now. In the PS5 generation so far, there have been more price increases and studio closures such as Bluepoint Games and Dark Outlaw Games than the number of new first-party franchises
So what does this mean for the gamer? Well, essentially, it means they have two choices: buy now before April 2nd to secure the current price, or accept the new reality of gaming on consoles in 2026. The beauty of gaming on consoles has long been that it is an alternative to gaming on PCs, but it seems this gap is closing in a way nobody really foresaw.
By ScreenPlayDaily
Expert contributor at ScreenPlayDaily, dedicated to providing accurate and engaging gaming news.