Sony is raising the price of the PlayStation 5 in its home country for the third time, the company today announced.
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The PS5 duo is about to get more expensive in Japan. Sony has revealed plans to raise the domestic MSRP of both the PS5 disc and digital editions alongside a multitude of peripherals within the region, culminating in the third PS5 console price hike in Japan since the system’s launch.
The PlayStation 5 disc price will now be 79,980 yen ($550), an increase of roughly 13,000 yen ($90) from the previous cost. The PS5 digital edition is now priced at 72,970 (roughly $506), representing yet another increase of 13,000 yen ($90).
3Taking a look at historical PS5 prices in Japan adds even more context to the higher prices that gamers in this region will pay for the systems. According to data provided by Sony and compiled by us, the PS5 disc version has seen a +60% price increase since 2020 to present, whereas the digital model has increased by +83% in the same period.
The increase comes at an interesting time for Sony, who has repeatedly said that PS5 profitability is “breaking down,” indicating the company is making less profit on each unit sold.
Sony recently went through great lengths to squeeze out more console sales profitability by releasing new revised PS5 models, aka the PS5 Slim lineup, which has transformed all new consoles into digital-only systems that can then have optional disc drives attached.
The revisions were designed to be much lighter than the 2020 launch models, thereby significantly reducing all forms of shipping and freight costs to worldwide regions.