Sony announces PS5 price increase due to “challenging economic environment”
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Sony raising price of PS5 in the USA due to “challenging economic environment”
Sony has announced a price increase for the PS5 in the USA. The price will rise from $549.99 to $749.99 from 21 August. The move is due to ‘a challenging economic environment’ Australia will not see a PS5 price increase.
Sony has today announced that it will raise the price of the PS5 in the USA because of “a challenging economic environment”.
The following prices will be applicable in the USA from 21 August, or tomorrow across the pond.
PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
“Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,” Sony said of its latest price hike. “As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21.
“The recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories remain unchanged, and we have no other price changes to announce for additional markets.”
Australia will not see a PS5 price increase… though we’ve suffered through a couple increases to date.
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Sony Hikes PS5, PS5 Pro Prices in US, Citing ‘Challenging Economic Environment’
The price of the standard physical edition PS5 is going up from $499 to $549.99, calling the price hike a “difficult decision” PS5 digital edition now costs $499, up from$449.99. The PS5 Pro, too, gets a $50 price hike, up from $699.99 to $749.99 in the US. The cost of PS5 accessories, however, will remain unchanged, Sony said. The PlayStation parent cited “challenging economic environment” as the reason for the price increase.
PS5 Price Hiked in the US
The price of the standard physical edition PS5 is going up from $499.99 to $549.99, Sony announced in a PlayStation Blog post on Wednesday, calling the price hike a “difficult decision”. PS5 digital edition now costs $499.99, up from $449.99. The PS5 Pro, too, gets a $50 price hike, up from $699.99 to $749.99
PS5 prices are not changing in additional markets, Sony said, and prices of PS5 accessories in the US will also remain the same.
Sony had refrained from hiking the prices of its current-generation consoles in the US in April when it increased PS5 prices in select markets that included the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia, and New Zealand, citing “challenging economic environment”. The move came after US president Donald Trump imposed widespread tariffs on the country’s imports.
Console Prices Rising
Prices of video game consoles have been rising since the Trump administration announced Tariffs in April. In May, Microsoft announced it was raising prices of its Xbox consoles and accessories, citing “market conditions and the rising cost of development”. The company also said it would raise prices of some of its first-party games from $70 to $80 starting this Holiday season but later backtracked on the decision.
Earlier this month, Nintendo, too, raised the price of the Nintendo Switch and some Switch and Switch 2 accessories in the US, citing “market conditions”. The price hike hit the entire family of first-generation Switch devices, which includes the original Switch, the Switch Lite, and the OLED model. Nintendo, however, did not raise the price of the newly released Switch 2.
Despite price hikes and a dearth of new triple-A first-party games, the PS5 has continued to sell well into its fifth year. Sony said it sold 18.5 million PS5 units in FY 2024 ended March 2025.
Sony announces PlayStation 5 price hike in US from August 21
Sony Announces Playstation 5 Price Hike In Us From August 21. The PS5 will cost $549.99, the Digital Edition $499.99 and the PS5 Pro $749.99. Accessories remain unchanged.
Sony announces PlayStation 5 price hike in US from August 21
Sony has revised PlayStation 5 prices in the United States, effective August 21, due to economic pressures. The PS5 will cost $549.99, the Digital Edition $499.99, and the PS5 Pro $749.99, while accessories remain unchanged.
By T Ivan Nischal Published Date – 21 August 2025, 01:47 PM
Hyderabad: Sony has increased the retail prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the United States, citing a challenging economic environment. The revised prices will take effect from August 21.
The updated prices are as follows:
PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
The company clarified that prices of PlayStation 5 accessories remain unchanged and that no price changes have been announced for other global markets at this time.
Sony is raising prices on PS5 consoles. You can blame tariffs.
Sony announced that it’s raising the recommended prices for PS5 consoles by $50 for U.S. retailers. The new prices will likely take effect starting Thursday, August 21, though retailers may implement the new prices at different times. Sony didn’t announce price changes for shoppers in any other countries, and the statement didn’t reveal whether PS5 bundles would be impacted, though this seems likely. The phrase “challenging economic environment” is a common euphemism for tech companies raising prices because of President Trump’s tariffs.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A major video game console maker announced that it’s raising prices here in the United States due to “a challenging economic environment.”
On August 20 — just hours before the tech world dialed into the Made by Google Pixel 10 launch — Sony announced that it’s raising the recommended prices for PS5 consoles by $50 for U.S. retailers. The new prices will likely take effect starting Thursday, August 21, though retailers may implement the new prices at different times.
The news was shared on the PlayStation website in a short statement by Isabelle Tomatis, Vice President of Global Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21…The recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories remain unchanged, and we have no other price changes to announce for additional markets.”
Effective tomorrow, the new recommended retail prices for PS5 consoles will be:
PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
Sony didn’t announce price changes for shoppers in any other countries, and the statement didn’t reveal whether PS5 bundles would be impacted, though this seems likely.
While the statement doesn’t mention tariffs specifically, the phrase “challenging economic environment” is a common euphemism for tech companies raising prices because of President Trump’s tariffs.
When Nintendo announced that it was raising prices on the original Switch consoles beginning August 3, the company cited “market conditions” as the reason. And when Microsoft announced price increases on Xbox consoles back in April, it also cited “market conditions.”
As Mashable has previously reported, the latest round of tariffs from the White House (both threatened and actual) could have an outsized impact on video game consoles and gaming accessories.
“[A] lot of the big electronic brands may have avoided some tariffs by stockpiling inventories earlier in the year, before tariffs were announced,” said Rick Kowalski, Senior Director of Business Intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association, in a previous interview with Mashable regarding tariffs. “Those stockpiles will only last a few months at most, so eventually, importers will need to restock, and they’ll import more products at the higher tariff rates.”
Sony Announces PS5 Price Increase In The U.S. Due To Economic Uncertainty Surrounding Tariffs
Sony has announced it will be increasing the price of the PlayStation 5 starting on Thursday, August 21st. The recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories will remain unchanged. Many are attributing the rise in price to the tariffs that President Trump imposed on various countries around the world. Sony is hardly the only one feeling the impact of tariffs. Microsoft announced price increases for its Xbox consoles and accessories back in May. Even Nintendo has stated that it can not rule out increasing the prices of the Switch 2 due to tariffs, and has already raised the prices on numerous Switch 2 accessories. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are approaching their fourth year on the market. Normally consoles get cheaper, not more expensive as they age.
“Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21,” said Isabelle Tomatis Vice President, Global Marketing, Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Beginning on Thursday, August 21st, the cost of PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. will increase to the following prices:
PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
This is a $50 increase from current prices. Sony confirmed that the recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories will remain unchanged. Prices in other markets will remain the same as well, suggesting that these prices are related to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Although Sony didn’t directly say it, many are attributing the rise in price to the tariffs that President Trump imposed on various countries around the world. Analyst Daniel Ahmad noted that even though Sony is “diversifying away” from China, there are still tariffs being imposed on numerous other countries where the PS5 is produced, including China (30%), Japan (15%), Vietnam (20%), and Malaysia (19%).
This is what I said back in April. I was expecting a $50 price increase because Sony has been proactive in adapting in the wake of tariffs.
Xbox’s price increase being slightly higher is because of the increased dependence on China (higher tariff). pic.twitter.com/PEtyW5pN3F — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 20, 2025
Sony is hardly the only one feeling the impact of tariffs. Microsoft announced price increases for its Xbox consoles and accessories back in May. The price for both the Xbox Series S 512GB and 1TB consoles increased by $80 from their previous prices, while the Xbox Series X Digital and Disc increased by $100 from their previous prices.
Although pre-orders of the Nintendo Switch 2 was delayed in the United States for a few weeks due to uncertainty surrounding the tariffs, the console itself still launched on time in June at its original price. However, even Nintendo has stated that it can not rule out increasing the price of the Switch 2 due to tariffs, and has already raised the prices on numerous Switch 2 accessories.
With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S approaching their fourth year on the market, these price hikes stand out as unusual. Normally consoles get cheaper, not more expensive as they age. However, global inflation, rising manufacturing costs, and and tariffs have, as Sony said, resulted in economic uncertainty.