PS5 sales are keeping pace with the trajectory of the PS4, but Sony wants to jack the price anyway (thanks, tariffs)

Sony is reportedly considering increasing the price of the PS5 in response to US tariffs on foreign countries, especially impacting technology sectors. In addition, the company is also weighing-up the possibility of manufacturing consoles in the USA, in order to avoid the fiscal burdens tariffs apply.

This suite of new info comes courtesy of a company earnings call, in which Sony CFO Lin Tao expressed to investors their intention to start “passing on” the increased cost of business to consumers in order to avoid any disastrous impact on the company’s revenue. Tao does not mention the PS5 outright, but given the console has seen a price increase across territories such as Europe, it’s not implausible.

It’s worth noting in a financial report released earlier today, data shows Sony saw a loss in both sales and income across its Games & Network services sector. In that same report, it’s stated (on page 11) that Sony is forecasting a decrease in hardware sales and the impact of foreign exchange rates could lead to a 8% decrease on that department’s year-on-year 2025 income. This, it goes without saying, is bad news for Sony, though the company does also note that an increase in first party game sales and add-ons (DLC) could help padden the blow a little.

But here’s an interesting point worth noting. In the aforementioned earnings call, president of Sony Hiroki Totoki discussed the possibility of manufacturing the PS5 in the USA, as a way of circumventing US tariffs on tech. He stated that doing so would be “an efficient strategy” that the company was considering. If this were to happen, it would seemingly be an example of American tariffs working as intended, encouraging companies to move manufacturing and other business within US borders, creating jobs and shifting the US economy more towards production than a service economy. The cost of this though may very well be the PlayStation being more expensive, so whether or not this small part of a far vaster economic policy is worth your wallet getting lighter is up to you to determine.

This news comes shortly after Microsoft announced its own hike in both software and hardware price, so it’s not as if Sony is doing this in a vacuum. Whether or not Sony is more open to the idea of raising the price of gaming hardware due to Microsoft biting the bullet first remains a mystery, but it’s safe to say that at least in the short term, American gamers can expect things to get a lot more expensive across the board.

Let us know if a price increase would put you off buying a PS5 below!