Sony Raises PS5 Prices Again Amid Global Economic Pressures and Memory Prices

On Friday, Sony announced that it'll be increasing prices on its PlayStation 5 consoles for the second time in less than a year due to “pressures in the global economic landscape," per CNBC. 

The Price Increases

All three versions of the PS5, including the disc edition, digital edition, and PS5 Pro, will see substantial price increases. 

The disc version is going from $549.99 to $649.99; the digital edition from $499.99 to $599.99; and the PS5 Pro will increase by $150 to $899.99.

These increases will happen starting April 2, 2026.  

“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,” Sony said in a blog post.

Last year, Sony increased prices due to inflation and uncertainty around tariffs. 

In addition to the US, Japan, the U.K., and Europe will also see price increases. 

Were These Increases Inevitable?

CNC spoke with Pier Harding--Rolls, a research director of games at Ampere Analysis. 

Harding-Rolls believes these increases were inevitable due to rising memory prices. 

“It is likely that Sony had price protections for its components for a set period and this may well have come to an end,” Harding-Rolls said.

“With no sign of prices easing ... Sony will have made the move to protect its slim hardware margins. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Microsoft and Nintendo followed suit in the not-too-distant future.”

Nintendo hasn't raised prices on its new Switch 2 just yet, but that could be because it's so new. 

“It’s awkward for Nintendo as it won’t want to raise the price of the Switch 2 when it is trying to establish the new platform,” Harding-Rolls said.

In February, Sony executives said they planned to curb the impact of rising memory costs by monetizing their current base of PS5 users and expanding software and network service revenue. 

Additionally, price increases could be related to the war in the Middle East. 

“A new wave of inflation is expected from the war in the Middle East, and this will compound the effect of the component price increases,” Harding-Rolls said.