Amid the fanfare of Gamescom 2025, Sony quietly confirmed what many feared: the PlayStation 5 family is about to get more expensive in the United States. 
Starting August 21, 2025, the PS5, its digital-only variant, and the PS5 Pro will each see a $50 price increase. That means the standard PS5 with a disc drive jumps from $499.99 to $549.99, the digital edition rises from $449.99 to $499.99, and the PS5 Pro climbs from $699.99 to $749.99.
While Sony doesn’t directly cite tariffs, the context is clear. The company had previously buffered U.S. players from price hikes by shipping extra stock ahead of U.S. trade policies. That cushion seems to have run out. As CFO Lin Tao hinted months ago, tariffs are now part of the equation – even if Sony’s official line frames the increase as navigating a “challenging economic environment.”
Globally, the move isn’t a total shock. Europe, the UK, and parts of Asia have already endured higher prices since April, and Canada faced a hike back in 2022. For American gamers, this marks the end of a five-year stretch where consoles managed to dodge inflationary pressure that others had long been dealing with.
Accessories, at least for now, remain unaffected. Sony’s marketing VP Isabelle Tomatis reassured players that there are “no other price changes to announce for additional markets.” Still, the shift raises questions: will this dampen momentum for PS5 sales in the U.S., or has Sony judged that demand is still strong enough to absorb the blow?
Gamers are split. Some argue this was inevitable, a delayed correction after years of U.S. immunity. Others bristle at paying more for hardware that hasn’t meaningfully changed since launch. And for those considering PC gaming as an alternative, soaring GPU prices – driven by demand beyond gaming – aren’t making the switch much easier.
Whether this is a temporary sting or a long-term shift in console pricing remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the era of U.S. gamers getting a free pass on global price hikes is over.