The PlayStation 5 Gets A Price Increase. Gaming Keeps Getting More Expensive.

The PlayStation 5’s recommended retail price is going up by $50. (Dreamtime)

Sony Group is the latest videogame company to raise prices for its console—the PlayStation 5—as the economic environment remains uncertain.

Sony said in a blog post Wednesday that it is increasing the recommended retail price for PS5 consoles in the U.S. starting on Aug. 21. The price tag for the base PS5 will go to $549.99 from $499.99; the PS5 Digital Edition will increase to $499.99 from $449.99, and the PS5 Pro will go to $749.99 from $699.99.

Sony didn’t directly attribute the price increases to tariffs specifically, but said in the blog post that “similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment.”

CFO Lin Tao said on the company’s earnings call on Aug. 7 that although there had been ongoing developments in the past few weeks regarding tariffs, “there are still some fluid aspects such as product-specific tariffs. We plan to carefully assess the impact and our response throughout this fiscal year based on multiple scenarios.”

American depositary receipts of Sony were down 0.6% in afternoon trading on Wednesday to $28.08. The stock has gained 33% this year and 51% over the last 12 months.

Sony isn’t the first company to increase console prices this year. Microsoft announced in the spring that beginning on May 1, it would be raising the prices of its Xbox consoles and some accessories, like controllers.

Nintendo also boosted the price for the original Nintendo Switch at the beginning of August. It kept the price of the Switch 2 system the same, but said that “price adjustments may be necessary in the future.”

On top of consoles becoming more expensive, companies are raising the prices for videogames. Microsoft said it would adjust the pricing of some of its new first-party games starting this holiday season to $79.99.

Nintendo Switch 2 games like Super Mario Party Jamboree and Mario Kart World go for $79.99. The previous Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is $59.99.

There’s also a hefty lineup of new game releases coming in the months ahead. Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 6 comes out on Oct. 10 for $69.99. Take-Two Interactive Software is releasing NBA 2K26 on Sept. 5 for $69.99, Borderlands 4 on Sept. 12 for $69.99, and the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI on May 26 for an undisclosed price.

Write to Angela Palumbo at angela.palumbo@dowjones.com