Remember when gaming was supposed to get cheaper over time? Yeah, Sony didn’t get that memo. Sony just announced they’re jacking up PS5 prices across Europe, Australia, and other regions – while conveniently leaving the US market untouched (for now). Let’s rip off the band-aid and look at these painful new prices: Europe: PS5 Digital Edition now €499.99 UK: PS5 Digital Edition hitting £429.99 Australia: Standard PS5 now AUD $829.95, Digital Edition AUD $749.95 New Zealand: Standard PS5 at NZD $949.95, Digital Edition NZD $859.95 What’s Sony’s Excuse This Time? Sony’s trotting out the usual corporate greatest hits: “challenging economic environment” and “high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates.” Which is corporate-speak for “we think we can get away with it.” Interestingly, the PS5 Pro prices remain unchanged, and they’re even dropping the price on the disc drive accessory. While American gamers are currently dodging this price hike bullet, industry analysts speaking to CNBC suggest it’s only a matter of time before US prices follow suit. Some speculate Sony is spreading the pain globally to cushion the impact of potential US tariffs—kind of like having your whole friend group chip in for that one friend who always “forgets” their wallet. What This Means For Gamers If you’re in the affected regions and have been fence-sitting on a PS5 purchase, your procrastination just got more expensive. For everyone else, it might be worth keeping an eye on local pricing, because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from gaming, it’s that boss fights eventually come for everyone. And hey, there’s always…PS5 price hike shows Sony hates everyone outside America