Highlights
- Sony will raise PS5 prices in South Korea and Southeast Asia starting May 1, 2026.
- South Korea sees the steepest increase, with the Digital Edition rising by around 43%.
- Rising global costs are driving pricing changes across the console market.
Sony Interactive Entertainment will raise PlayStation 5 prices across South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam from May 1, 2026. The revision covers the PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal in select markets, and follows similar increases in the U.S., Brazil, Europe and Japan that took effect on April 2.
Sony attributed the changes to "continued pressures in the global economic landscape" in its PlayStation Blog post announcing the regional rollout.
Korea Sees Sharpest Jump
South Korea is bearing the largest increases. The PS5 Digital Edition rises from ₩598,000 (about $405) to ₩858,000 (about $581), a roughly 43% jump. The standard PS5 moves from ₩748,000 (about $507) to ₩948,000 (about $642), a 27% increase, while the PS5 Pro climbs from ₩1.118 million (about $757) to ₩1.298 million (about $879), or 16%.
In Singapore, the Digital Edition increases to S$764 (about $599) from S$669, the standard PS5 to S$849 (about $665) from S$799 and the PS5 Pro to S$1,167 (about $914) from S$1,069.
Global Pressure Drives Hardware Repricing
Sony's earlier April 2 round set U.S. prices at $649.99 for the standard PS5, $599.99 for the Digital Edition and $899.99 for the PS5 Pro. Comparable adjustments hit the U.K., continental Europe, Brazil and Japan. The PS5 launched in November 2020 at $399 for the Digital Edition and $499 for the disc version, meaning the Digital Edition now costs 50% more than at launch in the U.S.
The price action follows multiple Xbox hardware revisions in 2025. Microsoft raised Xbox Series X and Series S prices twice last year, citing tariffs and component costs, and lifted Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 in October, a 50% increase. Microsoft has since reversed course under Xbox president Asha Sharma, who took over earlier this year and cut Game Pass Ultimate to $22.99 in April. The company has signaled a broader brand reset as it reassesses pricing.
Nintendo has raised pricing on the original Switch and warned that further increases on the Switch 2 and its accessories may be needed. A former Nintendo sales executive said this month that the company will eventually have to lift Switch 2 retail pricing.
The current cycle breaks from past console economics. The PlayStation 4 retailed at $299 by mid-2019, roughly 5.5 years after launch, before further cuts. The PS5, at the same point in its lifecycle, is moving in the opposite direction.
