Sony unexpectedly increases PS5 prices in several countries.

      Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends

      While the recent price increase reports have primarily been based in the U.S., Sony's announcement yesterday regarding the PlayStation 5 price hike affects only the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and select markets in the Middle East and Africa.

      Sony cited "a challenging economic environment" as the reason for raising the recommended retail price (RRP) of the digital edition PS5 in Europe and the UK, as well as increasing the RRP for both the standard and digital versions in Australia and New Zealand.

      Here’s the table from Sony’s blog post:

      Location | New Price (after increase)

      Europe | PS5 Digital Edition – €499.99

      UK | PS5 Digital Edition – £429.99

      Australia | Standard PS5 with disc drive – AUD $829.95, PS5 Digital Edition – AUD $749.95

      New Zealand | Standard PS5 with disc drive – NZD $949.95, PS5 Digital Edition – NZD $859.95

      The price changes, which take effect today, range from a 10% to 15% increase depending on the product and location. Interestingly, Sony has reduced the price of the disc drive accessory for the digital edition consoles and has not altered the PS5 Pro prices.

      Officially, Sony has only cited "high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates" as reasons for these increases, without mentioning U.S. tariffs. The company implemented a price hike for similar reasons in 2022, raising the possibility that this current increase may not be directly tied to Trump's tariffs.

      An analyst speaking to CNBC anticipates that Sony will eventually increase prices in the U.S. once there is more clarity regarding the tariffs.

      Speculation also includes the idea that Sony may be looking to distribute the cost of the tariffs across different regions to maintain affordability for consumers in the United States. Given that the tariff situation is still evolving, it remains uncertain what the final outcome will be for U.S. consumers at this moment.

      Willow Roberts has been a Computing Writer at Digital Trends for a year and has been writing for about a decade. She has a…

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