Developers targeting the higher-end PlayStation 5, which boasts graphical features that run games smoother at higher resolutions, may soon be limited to audiences of only high-income enthusiasts. Retailers and third-party sellers have suddenly jumped in price on the PlayStation 5 Pro, indicating demand for the console exceeds the current supply.
Last night, users on the GameStop subreddit began sharing what appeared to bean internal company emailadvising employees of a price change on PlayStation 5 Pro units brought in for trade-in and sold back as used. GameStop would sell back the PlayStation 5 Pro units for $1,399.99 for digital versions or $1,499.99 for versions with the disc add-on attached. Color variations, like the Wolverine Yellow SKUs, would be priced in line with those numbers.
These rumors were confirmed today on GameStop’s store page when used prices for the PlayStation 5 Pro were updated. Similarly, third-party sellers on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart have all raised their prices to match this increase.
This represents a 60 – 66 percent increase over the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, though it should be noted that PlayStation 5 Pro units from PlayStation’s direct-sale store are currently unavailable, as are the disc add-on attachments. It is also a 100% increase over the PlayStation 5 Pro’s launch price of $699.99, a price point thathas steadily ticked up since 2024as RAM and storage prices increase due to an ongoing AI crunch.
Sony’s competitors, Nintendo and Microsoft, are faring little better in the face of hardware shortages, withXbox increasing prices multiple times over the last two years. Nintendo, meanwhile, just enacted the Switch 2’s first price increase in the United States, with the company’s president warning thata long-term memory shortage may “put pressure on profitability.”
The reason that PlayStation 5 Pros specifically are spiking in price likely has a lot to do withGrand Theft Auto 6. The upcoming Rockstar title is promising to be one of the biggest video game launches of all time and does support the PlayStation 5 Pro’s higher graphical ceiling, with the PlayStation 5 store page advertising thatthe game is “PS5 Pro Enhanced.”
Those who have yet to jump into the current console generation but plan for the latest Grand Theft Auto may find themselves priced out of a market that’s getting more expensive, not less.
