The PS5 might be due for another price increase in the near future, as Sony is reportedly weighing options in the wake of the Trump administration’s tariffs imposed on goods imported from outside the US. President Trump announced a collection of global tariffs back in early April. These were almost immediately put on hold for a period of 90 days. It’s now nearing the halfway point of that 90-day hold. Which means, companies are going to have to start making some tough decisions, one of those decisions being whether or not they should raise prices on products to counteract the tariffs.
If the PS5 does get a price increase, it wouldn’t be the first time it happened. Sony raised prices on the PS5 back in 2022 due to changing global market conditions, and gamers were less than enthusiastic about the higher price tag. Sony increased the price again in Europe just last month. That being said, the prices didn’t change everywhere. For consumers in the US, for example, prices on the PS5 stayed the same. That might be changing soon.
Sony is considering a PS5 price increase to offset tariff costs
While it hasn’t exactly been officially announced yet, it seems that Sony may be considering raising the cost of the PS5 to offset the increased cost brought on by Trump’s tariffs. This would thereby pass the cost onto the consumer. Sony held its most recent quarterly earnings call today. During the call, Sony CFO Lin Tao mentioned prices could be going up on products to offset tariff costs.
As The Verge points out, the PS5 wasn’t directly named. So there is a chance that the price of the PS5 won’t go up. Instead, Sony may choose to keep the price where it is and raise the prices on other products instead. However, none of this has been confirmed at this time.
Destin Legaire mentions on X that Sony is considering passing on the cost to the consumer, and that it’s assumed the PS5 price could be impacted. So, at this time, it’s simply unclear if Sony will choose to go this route or not. At the moment, it can’t be ruled out, though.
Sony could just manufacture PS5 consoles in the US
This is a solution that could help Sony avoid raising the price on the PS5. It’s something the company is considering. Another tweet from Legaire points to statements made by Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki. During his part of the presentation, Totoki mentions that “going forward, it needs to be considered” that Sony might need to produce the PS5 in the United States.
This is apparently possible for Sony to do. However, there’s no legitimate timeframe on how long it would take to get this operation up and running. For other companies impacted by the tariffs, moving manufacturing to the US has been discussed. But it wouldn’t be an easy (or quick) adjustment to make. Sony might be in a different position that allows it to speed things up, but it’s unclear at this time.
