Sony has increased the price of its PlayStation 5 console (review) by 25 per cent in select markets as the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs begins to hit the video game industry.
The Japanese electronics conglomerate said it had made the “tough” decision to raise the price of its flagship console in Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, and Africa. In the UK, the price of the digital edition of the PS5 has increased by £40 to £429.99. In Europe, the price has risen by €50 to €499.99. However, there is no price increase for the PS5 with a disc drive. The company has, however, reduced the cost of external disc drives that can be used with the digital edition of the PS5 in the UK. Sony also announced that it would increase the price of the PS5 in Australia and New Zealand.
Sony hasn’t said whether it will also raise the price of the PlayStation 5 in India in the future. Analysts, however, warn that Sony may increase the price of the PS5 in other major markets, including the US.
Sony manufactures the majority of PlayStation 5 consoles in China. (Image credit: Sony)
But this isn’t the first time Sony has increased the price of the PlayStation 5, which was released in 2020. The company previously made a similar move in 2022 to offset the rising cost of the console due to supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. Sony has sold 75 million units of the PS5 worldwide to date.
Major tech companies have been hit hard by Donald Trump’s tariffs, especially those that manufacture hardware in Asia, particularly China. There is still uncertainty about how the tariffs will impact the supply chain. While President Trump has exempted certain electronic products, video game consoles were not directly mentioned. This may explain why Sony did not specify in its PlayStation blog that the price increase was due to tariffs. However, there is a strong possibility that the tariffs and ongoing uncertainty will influence how companies adjust the pricing of devices in the coming days.
Experts say the era when companies priced their video game consoles low in hopes of recouping profits through software sales is long gone. Not just Sony, but another major gaming company, Nintendo, is also impacted by the US tariffs. Its Switch 2 will launch on June 5 for $449.99, up from $300 for the original Switch. The company is also charging more for its exclusive games, with some titles priced as high as $80. Nintendo still hasn’t announced when pre-orders for the Switch 2 will start in the US. The company was earlier expected to begin taking pre-orders for the new console on April 9.
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