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Earlier this month, Sony confirmed plans to increase the price of its PlayStation 5 console in the UK, mainland Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. The prike hike took place seconds after it was announced on April 14.
In the UK, the Sony PS5 Digital Edition will now cost £429.99 — up from £389.99. That's an increase of £40.
For those who don't know, the "Digital Edition" ditches the disc drive to play Blu-ray movies and series as well as physical game releases. At launch in 2020, this model cost £359.99. The latest increase was the second time Sony has been forced to increase prices during the lifespan of the console.
The Standard Edition PS5, which comes with a disc drive, and the more powerful PS5 Pro were unaffected, priced at £479.99 and £699.99, respectively.
But while the change has already taken affect on Sony's own website — some retailers have refused to increase prices.
Better yet, some UK retailers have cut the cost of the Sony PS5 Digital Edition console when bundled with the BAFTA winning game, Astro Bot. Usually £60 when bought separately, this adventure game is included as a download code with some console bundles.
Currys is selling the Sony PS5 Digital Edition (RRP £429.99) with Astro Bot (RRP £59.99) for just £339. That's a £149.99 saving on the (new) RRP. It offers flexible payment plans, and if you live nearby, you might even be able to click-and-collect today.
Argos has price-matched the same bundle, and appears to still have some stock left. However, other retailers are struggling with demand. At the time of writing, Amazon UK has sold-out of this particular bundle, while AO warns that it's "going fast"...despite it charging more than both Argos and Currys.
Save £150 with Sony PS5 console + Astro Bot bundle at Currys
Currys has not only resisted the call from Sony to increase the price tag of the disc-less PlayStation 5 Digital Edition up to £429.99 — the second increase in its history — but it's also bundled the award-winning Astro Bot as a download code in the box, saving you an extra £59.99 on the digital purchase from the PlayStation Store.
Sony PS5 Digital Edition + Astro Bot
$489.98
$339
In the last five years, the cost of this console has increased by £70, although it has been redesigned with a slimmer profile during that time. In the UK, the price tag of the standard Sony PlayStation console with disc drive remains unchanged at £479.99.
It's worth that Sony now sells refurbished versions of its latest console, which is consistently the most affordable way to buy a PS5. These are limited to one per customer due to the demand. Sony offers the same 12-month hardware warranty on its refurbished consoles, which are serviced by the company itself. However, Sony warns that "Certified Refurbished products may have minor cosmetic imperfections".
If you've purchased the disc-less PS5 Digital Edition, you can add the missing optical drive back with the official Disc Drive for PS5, which is sold separately by Sony for £69.99. The accessory previously cost £99.99, so Sony has dropped the price tag by £30 in the wake of the latest shake-up.
Sony sells refurbished PS5 Digital Edition consoles at record-low price
Avoid the latest price rise and pay less than the original RRP of the Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition by buying a Certified Refurbished model. Checked and repaired by Sony's own engineers, these models might "have minor cosmetic imperfections," but will arrive with the same 12-month hardware warranty as a brand-new console sold by Sony. These are limited to one per person due to constrained supplies
PS5 Digital Edition (Certified Refurbished)
$429.99
$299
Buying the PS5 Digital Edition and the optical drive add-on separately costs £19.99 more than buying the standard Sony PS5 console with the disc drive built-in.
For other regions, the new prices are:
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) VP of Global Marketing, Isabelle Tomatis penned in a blog post: "With a backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates, SIE has made the tough decision to raise the recommended retail price (RRP) of the PlayStation 5 console in select markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia and New Zealand."
According to Sony, some additional markets outside of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa may also see price increases, but specific details weren't provided. At the moment, PlayStation fans in the United States will not see a change in the price of the console.
This is the second time Sony has decided to increase the cost of its PS5 in these regions. If you've been waiting for prices to drop before purchasing, this trend may be concerning.
Sony redesigned its flagship PlayStation 5 console last year with two new models — the Standard model with an optical disc drive to play games and Blu-rays (pictured above) and the Digital Edition, which drops discs in favour of a slimmer design SONY PRESS OFFICE The good news is that PS5 Pro prices remain unchanged across all regions, so if you were eyeing Sony's premium console, you will not be affected by today's increases.
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Experts suggest similar price increases could follow in other markets, including the United States.
Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based games consultancy Kantan Games, told CNBC: "I would be very surprised if Sony was able to keep the PlayStation prices in the US stable."
He added that now might be the "right time" for Sony to implement such changes as "user backlash would be comparably limited." Global financial markets have been particularly volatile following recent announcements about potential tariffs affecting international trade.
