While console prices in the US will remain the same, a PS5 price increase is coming to continental Europe, the UK, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.
On Thursday, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) President and CEO Jim Ryan announced in a company blog post that physical and digital PlayStation 5 consoles are experiencing a price increase in select markets.
The announcement from SIE comes as global inflation rates climb and the trendlines for some of the world’s most important currencies stutter. As a result, Sony is increasing the recommended retail price of PS5s in continental Europe, the UK, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.
Notably, this PS5 price increase will not affect the United States.
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The price of PlayStation Plus, the platform’s subscription service for unlocking online play and access to exclusive software downloads, will likewise undergo a price increase from $49.99 to $59.99 for an annual membership. Monthly subscriptions will stay put at $9.99, but three-month memberships will jump from $17.99 to $24.99.
“While this price increase is a necessity given the current global economic environment and its impact on SIE’s business, our top priority continues to be improving the PS5 supply situation so that as many players as possible can experience everything that PS5 offers and what’s still to come,” Ryan said in a statement.
As The Verge notes, continental Europe, Japan, and the UK are affected the most, with prices respectively increasing by 10%, 21%, and 6%.
Select markets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America may also experience a PS5 price increase, but SIE did not detail which regions might be affected. For now, the entertainment company suggests checking with local retailers.
New PS5 Prices
Per the official PS5 Blog, here are the new PS5 prices across various regions, effective immediately unless noted:
- Canada
- With disc drive: $649.99 CAD
- Digital-only – $519.99 CAD
- Mexico
- With disc drive: $14,999 MXN
- Digital-only: $12,499 MXN
- Continental Europe
- PlayStation 5 console with Blu-ray disc drive: €549.99
- PS5 Digital Edition: €449.99
- UK
- With disc drive: £479.99
- Digital-only: £389.99
- Japan (starting Sept. 15, 2022)
- With disc drive: ¥60,478 (inc. tax)
- Digital-only: ¥49,478 (inc. tax)
- China
- With disc drive: ¥4,299 yuan
- Digital-only – ¥3,499 yuan
- Australia
- With disc drive: $799.95 AUD
- Digital-only: $649.95 AUD
This announcement comes the same week SIE released a new PS5 DualSense Edge wireless controller that features back buttons, changeable stick caps, customizable controls, and more. All this news arrives against the backdrop of not just global inflation, but a $5.9 billion lawsuit alleging that Sony has excessively, unfairly profited off customers through digital game sales.
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What about the PS5’s competitors?
It’s inevitable to think about what the competition is doing in moments like this. For its part, GameStop pondered potential price changes for Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Switch consoles, but no official announcements have been made.
Nintendo has previously reported that it will stick to its Switch pricing model and instead decrease the size of its consoles’ packaging. Current-gen Xbox consoles are already less expensive than the PlayStation 5 by comparison, but one gamer shared his thoughts about why Xbox still prevails.
Stay tuned with regards to how Microsoft and Nintendo respond to today’s news — though it may be in this case that silence is key.
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