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The cost of the PS5 is going up, here’s why

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A PS5 standing on a table, with purple lights around it.
Martin Katler / Unsplash

Five years after launch, the PS5 isn’t getting cheaper but instead is going to get $50 more expensive. All three of the current models of the PlayStation 5 will be impacted by this price increase, including the regular PS5, PS5 digital edition, and the PS5 Pro. This comes soon after Nintendo confirmed that it would be raising the price on its original Nintendo Switch consoles, both of which are likely done as a result of rising import tariffs.

Posted on the official PlayStation Blog, Sony confirmed that it will be increasing the price of all of its PS5 console models by $50 in the US tomorrow, August 21. The post reads in part, “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.”

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As of now, there will be no changes to any official PS5 accessories.

Starting tomorrow, the new price of each PS5 model will be as follows:

  • PlayStation 5 – $549.99
  • PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
  • PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99

The PS5 price has already increased in other regions, sometimes multiple times, but this is the first time the US market has been impacted. The reason given of “a challenging economic environment,” hints at tariffs being the root cause of the price increases.

Previously, both Nintendo and Xbox raised console prices in the US, with Switch units costing around $30 more, depending on the model, and Xbox consoles each going up by around 20%.

This is the first generation in which console prices have not gone down over time, but actually increased. We’re also seeing game prices inflate to $80, with Mario Kart World being the first major title to set that new bar. While PlayStation hasn’t announced any plans to increase the price of its games as of now, this price hike on hardware indicates that more expensive games aren’t too far off.

Jesse Lennox
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jesse Lennox covers all things gaming but has a specific interest in all things PlayStation, JRPGs, and experimental indies…
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