- PS5, PS5 Digital, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal will increase in price starting April 2, 2026.
- In Europe and Spain, consoles increase by €100 and PlayStation Portal by €30.
- Sony justifies the price increase by citing global economic pressure and the rising cost of memory and other components.
- The price increase breaks the tradition of consoles becoming cheaper as the generation progresses.
Console gamers are facing another financial blow . Sony has confirmed that the entire PlayStation 5 family, including the newly released PS5 Pro and the PlayStation Portal remote, will see a price increase globally within days. This move effectively ends any hope of hardware becoming cheaper in the final stretch of this generation.
The Japanese company has announced that the new prices will take effect on April 2, 2026 , and will affect Europe (including Spain), the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. According to Sony, the decision is due to "continued pressures in the global economic landscape" and the need to maintain investment in new developments and services, although for users it means paying more for consoles that have been on the market for years.
Upgrade confirmed for PS5, PS5 Digital, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal
Sony has officially confirmed what until recently were only leaks and rumors: all PS5 models and PlayStation Portal will see a price increase . The announcement was published on the official PlayStation blog and the brand's corporate channels, specifying that the price adjustment will be simultaneous in major markets.
In the statement, Isabelle Tomatis, Vice President of Global Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment, explained that, after a “thorough evaluation ,” a review of the MSRP was deemed essential to continue offering products with the level of quality and features the company aims to maintain. She acknowledged that the change will significantly impact the community , but defended it as a “necessary” measure.
The increase isn't limited to a specific model, as was the case with the Digital Edition, but rather affects the entire PlayStation 5 range : the version with a disc drive, the digital variant, the more powerful PS5 Pro model, and the PlayStation Portal remote play system. It is, therefore, a comprehensive upgrade to the game library at the height of this generation.
Furthermore, Sony has confirmed that the new prices will apply both in physical stores and on the official PlayStation Direct website . In other words, this isn't a one-off adjustment by some retailers, but rather an official change to the recommended retail price.
These are the new prices in Europe and Spain.
In Europe, and by extension in Spain, the price increase is particularly significant: all PlayStation 5 consoles are now €100 more expensive than their previous RRP, while PlayStation Portal has increased by €30 . This represents one of the largest hardware price revisions in the brand's recent history.
From April 2, 2026, these will be the official prices in the European Union:
- PlayStation 5 Slim (with disc drive): €649,99 (was €549,99, +€100)
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: €599,99 (was €499,99, +€100)
- PlayStation 5 Pro: €899,99 (was €799,99, +€100)
- PlayStation Portal: €249,99 (was €219,99, +€30)
This means that, since its launch in November 2020, the standard PS5 model has become 150 euros more expensive in Europe when all accumulated price increases are taken into account, while the digital version has accumulated a total increase of 200 euros compared to its original price.
It's worth remembering that back in August 2022, there was an initial price increase of €50 in Europe for both initial models: the PS5 with a disc drive went from €499,99 to €549,99, and the Digital Edition from €399,99 to €449,99. Later, in April 2025, the edition without a disc drive underwent another €50 adjustment , raising its price to €499,99. Now, the jump to €599,99 puts it well above its launch price.
The PS5 Pro, originally launched in Europe at €799,99, is also entering this new price increase cycle. With the €100 jump, it now stands at €899,99, psychologically approaching the €900 mark , an unusual price for a home console.
The United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan are also experiencing price increases.
While many gamers are focused on what's happening in Spain and the rest of Europe, the price increase is global . Sony has detailed new pricing for key markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, with figures adjusted for each currency but with the same upward trend.
- PS5 Digital Edition: $599,99 (formerly $499,99)
- PS5 with disc drive: $649,99 (formerly $549,99)
- PS5 Pro: $899,99 (formerly $749,99)
- PlayStation Portal: $249,99 (formerly $199,99)
In the UK , Sony's recommended retail price is:
- PS5 Digital: £519,99
- PS5 with disc drive: £569,99
- PS5 Pro: £789,99
- PlayStation Portal: £219,99
For the Japanese market , where the console had also been established for several years, the new prices announced by the company are as follows:
- PS5 Digital: 89.980 yen
- PS5 with disc drive: 97.980 yen
- PS5 Pro: 137.980 yen
- PlayStation Portal: 39.980 yen
All these changes will be reflected both in the usual distributors and in PlayStation Direct, the official online store where Sony sells directly to the consumer in the countries where the service is available.
A change in trend: consoles are no longer getting cheaper.
One of the most striking aspects of this move is that it completely breaks with the historical dynamics of the sector . Traditionally, consoles tended to decrease in price over the years, taking advantage of economies of scale and reduced component costs. Each generation made the hardware more accessible over time.
In this generation, however, the trend is going in the opposite direction: consoles are more expensive now than they were on launch day . This isn't an isolated case for Sony; Microsoft has also increased the price of the Xbox Series X in several territories, and it's widely assumed that future consoles like the Switch 2 or the next Xbox could face similar scenarios.
Industry analysts had long pointed to the possibility of further price increases in desktop hardware , following previous adjustments linked to inflation, exchange rate fluctuations, and the trade war that primarily affected the United States in 2025. This new wave of price hikes confirms those forecasts and solidifies a generation marked by price volatility.
For many gamers who were expecting a classic end-of-cycle price drop, this move comes as a major disappointment . The PS5 Slim with a disc drive is priced at €649,99 in Spain, a figure that a few years ago would have seemed more fitting for a mid-range PC than a console designed for the living room.
The perfect storm: RAM, AI, and component shortages
From the official side, Sony only mentions “pressures from the global economic landscape ,” but various industry reports point to quite specific causes. The most frequently cited is the memory crisis and the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the supply chain of key components.
In recent months, manufacturers and specialized consulting firms have warned of a sharp rise in the price of DRAM and NAND flash memory , the very technologies used by consoles, computers, and a multitude of electronic devices to operate and store data. The surge in demand from large data centers and AI infrastructures has reportedly diverted a huge portion of global production to this sector.
Some analyses indicate that DRAM memory contracts have increased in cost by more than 170% in a short period, automatically driving up the manufacturing cost of each console. This is compounded by the pressure on processors, GPU chips, cooling systems, and other essential components of modern hardware.
What's striking is that, at the beginning of the year, Sony executives had hinted that they had enough memory reserves to weather the storm and keep prices stable throughout 2026. Market reality seems to have overtaken them: the price increase now announced shows that those forecasts have been surpassed by an even more aggressive context than expected.
The impact of this price increase isn't limited to consoles. Other companies, like Valve, have acknowledged having to rethink or delay hardware launches due to volatile component costs. All of this paints a picture where producing high-performance devices is simply much more expensive than it was a few years ago.
Community reaction and the future of the generation
Among gamers, the response to the news has been mostly critical. Many point out that, after several consecutive price increases , the PS5 has become significantly more expensive than it was in 2020, at a time when talk is already beginning about its successor, presumably the PS6, for the coming years.
For those who were hesitating between upgrading their console or waiting for the next generation, the new MSRP of €649,99 for the model with a disc drive or €899,99 for the PS5 Pro might tip the scales in favor of waiting. Many believe that, at these price points, the difference compared to a mid-range PC or other entertainment options is becoming a factor worth considering more carefully.
Even so, some point out that the major releases expected in the coming months —with hugely popular titles—will continue to drive console sales, despite everything. In that regard, some analysts suspect that the proximity of highly anticipated blockbusters may have encouraged Sony to raise the price now, when potential demand is high.
For now, the only certainty is that from April 2nd, buying any PS5 model or a PlayStation Portal will be significantly more expensive in Spain, Europe, and other major markets. For many users, this presents the typical dilemma: take advantage of the last few days before the switchover to try and find a deal, or accept that the cost of upgrading to the new generation will be higher than they imagined when the console was unveiled.
With this move, Sony confirms a turning point in the video game industry: hardware is no longer a product that inevitably gets cheaper over the years , but a commodity subject to a turbulent global economy, in which memory, chips and logistics weigh as much as the games advertised in store windows.
