Sony just announced over on the official PlayStation Blog that the PlayStation 5 is having a price increase across the United States, effective from tomorrow onwards. Starting on August 21, all PS5 consoles will have their prices increased by $50 across the entire United States, with Sony citing “a challenging economic environment” behind their decision to hike up prices in their most popular gaming market.
To specifically breakdown each price increase, the base PS5 is increasing from $499.99 to $549.99, whilst the Digital Edition without a disk drive will rise from $449.99 to $499.99. Finally, the PS5 Pro will have an eye-watering price hike from the current $699.99 price tag to an enormous $749.99. These prices will come into effect on August 21, following similar rises in Europe, Australia and New Zealand earlier this year.
Despite the price increase to PS5 systems, Sony do specify that “the recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories remain unchanged”, and further reassure that there are also “no other price changes to announce for additional markets”. It’s a bold move for Sony to raise the price of a system when we’re already so deep into the console’s cycle, especially with the Nintendo Switch 2 having only just released at a considerably cheaper price tag. The economic impact of tariffs on the gaming industry is a developing situation, and we’ll be sure to follow it as closely as we can going forwards.
How do you think Sony’s price hikes to PS5 consoles will affect sales in the US, if at all? Do you think Nintendo will follow in raising prices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news and Sony coverage.
