Today, Sony announced a price increase for the Playstation 5 in Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico, and Canada. The company cited worldwide economic challenges, including global inflation and adverse currency trends, as the reason for the raised cost of the gaming console.
Sony stated there would be no price increase in the United States. However, shortage problems have plagued the PS5 since launch, and buying a Blu-ray version of the console runs nearly $1,000 from U.S. online scalpers. Buying a system from Amazon at the regular price requires an invitation. Walmart and BestBuy have launched programs for gamers to reserve their next console, but you need to subscribe to their premium services. If Americans don't want to buy from the big-box retailers, they can also reserve a unit directly from Sony.
The new recommended retail prices for the affected regions are below. Prices are effective immediately, except for Japan, which will take effect on September 15th.
- AustraliaDigital Edition: $649.95Blu-ray Edition: $799.95
- CanadaDigital Edition: $519.99Blu-ray Editon: $649.99
- ChinaDigital Edition: ¥3,499Blu-ray Edition: ¥4,299
- EuropeDigital Edition: €449.99Blu-ray Edition: €549.99
- JapanDigital Edition: ¥49,478Blu-ray Edition: ¥60,478
- MexicoDigital Edition: $12,499Blu-ray Edition: $14,999
- United KingdomDigital Edition: £389.99Blu-ray Edition: £479.99
An analysis from Ars Technica shows the new prices represent between a 3.2% to 12.9% increase, depending on the model and country.