After Nintendo announced a price increase for its eight-year-old Switch earlier this month, it seemed inevitable that other companies would follow. Sony has now announced that PlayStation 5 consoles are getting a $50 price increase in the U.S., starting tomorrow, August 21. That brings the standard PlayStation 5 to $549.99, the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition to $499.99, and the PlayStation 5 Pro to $749.99. In other words, if you were thinking about buying a PlayStation 5, today might be the day to do so. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to wait until Black Friday for a deal, which will likely just drop prices back to their current levels. For now, retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories remain unchanged.
Sony attributed the price increase to “a challenging economic environment,” but it’s obvious the increase is the result of the Trump administration’s tariffs. Keep in mind that the standard PlayStation 5 launched nearly five years ago, while the PlayStation 5 Pro launched last year. It’s pretty much unprecedented for console manufacturers to increase their prices this late in the generation. In the Switch’s case, the price hike came after its successor launched.
