PS5 Price Hike April 2026 – Sony Raises PlayStation 5 Prices Globally
Sony confirmed on March 27, 2026, that all PlayStation 5 console models — the disc edition, digital edition, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal — will cost more starting April 2, 2026. This is the second price increase in the US in less than a year, following a $50 hike across all US PS5 models in August 2025. The company pointed to “continued pressures in the global economic landscape” — primarily a surge in memory chip costs driven by AI data centre demand that has tightened supply across the consumer electronics sector.
The new US prices range from $649.99 for the disc PS5 to $899.99 for the PS5 Pro. Similar increases take effect globally across the UK, Europe, and Japan. The announcement came through the official PlayStation Blog, authored by Isabelle Tomatis, Vice President of Global Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
By the numbers
+$100US hike — PS5 disc & digital
+$150US hike — PS5 Pro
$899.99New PS5 Pro US price
+£90UK hike across PS5 models
8MPS5 units shipped Oct–Dec 2025, down 16% YoY
2ndUS price hike in under 12 months
PlayStation 5 disc edition — now $649.99 in the US from April 2, 2026 · Image: Unsplash
Regional price breakdown
The price changes apply worldwide. Select your region to see the exact before-and-after figures. All prices are recommended retail prices (RRP) as published on the official PlayStation Blog.
Model
Was
Now (Apr 2)
Change
PS5 (Disc)
$549.99
$649.99
+$100
PS5 Digital Edition
$499.99
$599.99
+$100
PS5 Pro
$749.99
$899.99
+$150
PlayStation Portal
$199.99
$249.99
+$50
Note: The PS5 Pro launched at $699.99 in November 2024. It was raised to $749.99 in the August 2025 US hike, and now rises again to $899.99. The PS5 disc edition launched at $499.99 in 2020 — it has increased $150 from launch price.
Model
Was
Now (Apr 2)
Change
PS5 (Disc)
£479.99
£569.99
+£90
PS5 Digital Edition
£429.99
£519.99
+£90
PS5 Pro
£699.99
£789.99
+£90
PlayStation Portal
£199.99
£219.99
+£20
UK buyers face a £90 increase across all three PS5 console models. The Portal increase is £20 in the UK.
Model
Was
Now (Apr 2)
Change
PS5 (Disc)
€549.99
€649.99
+€100
PS5 Digital Edition
€499.99
€599.99
+€100
PS5 Pro
€799.99
€899.99
+€100
PlayStation Portal
€219.99
€249.99
+€30
At €899.99, the PS5 Pro converts to approximately $1,037 USD. European prices include VAT.
Model
Was
Now (Apr 2)
Change
PS5 (Disc)
¥79,980
¥97,980
+¥18,000
PS5 Digital Edition
¥72,980
¥89,980
+¥17,000
PS5 Pro
¥119,980
¥137,980
+¥18,000
PlayStation Portal
¥34,980
¥39,980
+¥5,000
Japanese prices include consumption tax. A Japan-exclusive digital PS5 at ¥55,000 remains unchanged per Sony’s announcement.
Price calculator
Not sure how much more you’ll pay? Use this tool to compare launch price, the current price before April 2, and the incoming April 2 price for any model.
// PS5 Price History Calculator
Launch price$499.99
Before Apr 2$549.99
From Apr 2$649.99
Total increase since launch: $150 · This hike alone: $100
AI data centre demand has tightened global memory chip supply, pushing up costs for consumer hardware makers including Sony · Image: Unsplash
US price history chart
The chart below tracks the US retail price of the PS5 disc edition and PS5 Pro across all three pricing milestones — from their respective launches through both rounds of increases. The PS5 Pro was not affected by the August 2025 US hike; its first price change is the April 2026 increase.
US Recommended Retail Price (USD) — PS5 Disc & PS5 Pro
How prices got here
The PS5’s pricing history is unlike any previous PlayStation generation. Every other console generation saw prices fall over time. Here, they have only gone up.
Nov 12, 2020 — Launch
PS5 disc edition launches at $499.99 in the US. Digital Edition at $399.99. Japan launch price: ¥49,980 (disc) / ¥39,980 (digital).
Aug 25, 2022 — First global hike (non-US)
Sony raises PS5 prices in Europe, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, and other markets. The US was not included. Sony cited high inflation and adverse currency trends via the official PlayStation Blog.
Nov 15, 2023 — PlayStation Portal launched
Sony launches the PlayStation Portal remote player at $199.99 / £199.99 / €219.99. It streams PS5 games over Wi-Fi via Remote Play and features an 8-inch LCD screen with full DualSense controls.
Nov 7, 2024 — PS5 Pro launches
Sony’s mid-generation upgrade, the PS5 Pro, launches globally at $699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99 / ¥119,980. No disc drive included. Features a 67% larger GPU compute unit count, advanced ray tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) AI upscaling.
Aug 21, 2025 — First US hike
Sony raises all PS5 model prices in the US by $50 each, effective August 21, 2025. The PS5 disc edition moves to $549.99, digital to $499.99, and PS5 Pro to $749.99. Announced via the PlayStation Blog.
Apr 2, 2026 — Second global hike (all regions including US)
All PS5 models, the PS5 Pro, and the PlayStation Portal increase in price globally. In the US: disc PS5 reaches $649.99, digital reaches $599.99, PS5 Pro reaches $899.99, Portal reaches $249.99. Sony cites memory chip cost surge driven by AI demand.
On the record
“It is likely that Sony had price protections for its components for a set period and this may well have come to an end. 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.”
What this means
Five questions answered — from why memory chips got so expensive to what this means for the next PlayStation generation.
Memory (RAM and storage) is a core component inside every PS5. The global technology industry’s rapid build-out of AI infrastructure — data centres that require enormous quantities of high-bandwidth memory — has caused memory manufacturers to direct production capacity toward higher-margin data-centre chips. This has left consumer electronics facing tighter supply and higher costs. Sony, like other hardware makers, initially absorbed these costs through component supply contracts, but Ampere Analysis research director Piers Harding-Rolls noted those protections “may well have come to an end.” Sony confirmed memory costs are the primary driver behind the April 2026 increase.
Microsoft raised Xbox prices in 2025. Nintendo raised prices on the original Switch in August 2025. For the Switch 2, which launched in June 2025 at $449.99, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated the company is “carefully considering the situation” and that “any decision to change the price will be determined comprehensively, taking into consideration not only profitability, but also other factors like the platform’s installed base, sales trends, and the market environment.” Ampere Analysis expects further industry-wide movement if the memory shortage continues. For the latest on what’s coming to Nintendo Switch, see coverage of Pokémon Champions.
In the October–December 2025 holiday quarter, Sony shipped 8 million PS5 units — a 15.7% decline from the 9.5 million shipped in the same period a year earlier. In Sony’s February 2026 earnings call, an executive said the company plans to offset higher hardware costs by focusing on monetising its existing PS5 install base through software and PlayStation Network service revenue, rather than relying heavily on hardware unit sales. Earlier reports have suggested Sony may also be considering pushing back its next-generation console (PS6) to 2028 or 2029, partly due to the ongoing memory shortage.
The effects reach beyond just Sony hardware. Valve has delayed the launch of its next-generation Steam Machine and Steam Frame VR headset due to the same component shortage affecting supply and pricing. Epic Games announced the layoff of over 1,000 employees on March 24, 2026 — CEO Tim Sweeney cited industry-wide challenges including “current consoles selling less than last generation’s” as a contributing factor, alongside a downturn in Fortnite engagement. Analysts have said PS5 price hikes are likely to weigh on video-game market growth in 2026. Meanwhile, major game releases remain on schedule for PS5 platforms in April 2026. Check also Arc Raiders’ latest Flashpoint update.
The new prices take effect at retail on April 2, 2026. Existing stock at retailers before that date may still be available at pre-hike prices, though availability varies by store and region. Sony’s official purchase portal is direct.playstation.com. The full regional pricing details are available on the official PlayStation Blog announcement.
The DualSense controller remains unaffected by the April 2026 price changes, which cover consoles and the Portal only · Image: Unsplash
Sony’s PS5 price increases — effective April 2, 2026 — were announced on March 27, 2026 via the official PlayStation Blog. The changes cover the PS5 disc edition, digital edition, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal across the US, UK, Europe, Japan, and other global markets. The announcement also discussed the upcoming PlayStation Network rebrand and broader Sony platform strategy, and coincides with the arrival of anticipated titles including Life is Strange: Reunion on PS5.
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Vice President of Global Marketing Isabelle Tomatis described the changes as a “necessary step” to continue delivering gaming experiences amid ongoing global economic pressures, as stated in the PlayStation Blog post. The company’s official purchasing platform, direct.playstation.com, and the official PlayStation post on X carry the full details.
