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In case you didn’t know, Sony recently raised the prices of its PS5 consoles again, leaving gamers wondering if the popular system is still worth buying. Thanks to the increases that took effect earlier this month, even a base PS5 now costs significantly more than it did at launch more than five years ago. It’s a tricky situation, that’s for sure.
In our latest YouTube video, “PS5 vs. PS5 Pro in 2026,” we break down how these price hikes affect your options between the base PS5, the beefier PS5 Pro, a dedicated gaming PC, or even the yet-unannounced PS6.
So what the heck has caused PS5 prices to soar? Sony says the hikes stem from “pressures in the global economic landscape.” One of these factors is our not-so-dear friend, which I’m sure you’ve guessed is RAMageddon. Thanks to that and other global events, we’re now paying much more for tech that’s already five years old.
Article continues belowWhen the PS5 first launched in 2020, the Digital Edition had a sticker price of $399, while the disc-drive version was $499. The latter was already more expensive than the PS4 at launch, but not egregiously so. Then we got the PS5 Pro in late 2024 at an eye-watering $699. After incremental increases in August 2025 and now in April 2026, the costs have really stacked up.
Here’s a breakdown of how PS5 prices have increased over time:
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Launch Price | 2025 Price | 2026 Price | Total Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PS5 Digital | $399 | $499 | $599 | $200 |
PS5 Disc | $499 | $549 | $649 | $150 |
PS5 Pro | $699 | $749 | $899 | $200 |
The figures above represent U.S. recommended retail prices (other markets around the world have seen similar increases). As you can see, the PS5 Pro is now one of the most expensive consoles of all time at $899!
In our video, we explore whether the PS5 Pro’s extra performance justifies its steep $300 premium over the regular PS5. The Pro packs 2TB of storage compared to 1TB on the standard model, and it includes features like PSSR to boost frame rates and visual fidelity. We also compare the PS5 Pro head-to-head with a similarly priced gaming PC build and weigh whether it makes more sense to wait for the PS6, which rumors suggest could arrive as early as fall 2027.
Check out the full video to see which machine we recommend right now, or if you’re better off waiting until the PS6 drops or prices (hopefully) return to reasonable levels. Be sure to sound off in the comments below!
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