Sony's PS5 Price Hike Cites 'High Inflation and Fluctuating Exchange Rates'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sony has announced a price increase for most PlayStation 5 (PS5) hardware by 10-15 percent in several countries, including the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, citing "challenging economic conditions."

As reported by The Verge, it is also expected that Donald Trump's tariffs will increase the cost of imports in the United States. Therefore, a similar price increase in the U.S. market is likely to occur soon.

Sony is known to produce most of its PS5 hardware in China, which is currently subject to a 145 percent import tariff by the United States. Gaming consoles are not included in the temporary pause on some technology tariffs announced last Friday. The price increase in other markets is believed to be a move to limit the extent of the rise that needs to be made in the U.S., which is Sony's main market.

The digital edition of PS5 is the main product getting priced up in these markets. Meanwhile, the standard version with a disc drive only sees a price increase in Australia and New Zealand, and it is not as substantial as the digital version. In these four markets, the price of the PlayStation 5 Pro remains unchanged. Sony has also reduced the rate of additional disc drive accessories.

"The change blamed it on high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates,” Sony stated in the company's blog, quoted on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. However, the statement did not directly mention the era of Trump's tariffs or the increased import costs to the U.S.

Currently, the prices in the U.S. market have not changed. However, analyst Serkan Toto said he would be very surprised if Sony could maintain the PlayStation prices in the US to remain stable. "Now 'the right time' for the company to raise prices," he said.

This is the second time Sony has raised PS5 prices in most global markets, after doing the same in August 2022. At that time, Sony also cited high worldwide inflation and unfavorable currency trends as reasons, but specifically assured that the prices in the U.S. would not increase. There is no such statement in this announcement.

On the other hand, Nintendo has not opened pre-orders for the Switch 2 console in the U.S. and Canada. This has sparked speculation that the company is also considering a price increase.

Below are the latest PS5 prices, with the exchange rate conversion to Indonesian rupiah as of April 16, 2025.

Europe:
PS5 Digital Edition: 499.99 euro (previously 449.99 euro)

UK:
PS5 Digital Edition: 429.99 pound (previously 389.99 pound)

Australia:
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive: AU$829.95 (previously AU$799.95) PS5 Digital Edition: AU$749.95 (previously AU$649.95)

New Zealand:
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive: NZ$949.95 (previously NZ$899.95) PS5 Digital Edition: NZ$859.95 (previously NZ$769.96)

Additional Disc Drive Prices for PS5:
Europe: 79.99 euro (previously 119.99 euro), UK: 69.99 pound (previously 99.99 pound), Australia: AU$124.95 (previously AU$159.95), New Zealand: NZ$139.95 (previously NZ$169.95)

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