Sony’s PlayStation 5 hardware hit its strongest U.S. sales level of 2026 in early April, even as the company pushed through sharp price increases that are already changing who can afford to buy the console. Circana’s retail tracking showed weekly unit and dollar sales of Sony PlayStation 5 hardware reached 2026 highs in the week ending April 4.
The timing makes the numbers stand out. Sony confirmed late last month that it would raise prices on its consoles by at least $100 across the board, while the PlayStation 5 Pro went up by $150 and now sells for $900. Yet U.S. spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled from the same week a year earlier, suggesting the market is still producing sales even as the entry point climbs.
That strength has come with a catch. The cheapest Digital Edition PlayStation 5 is now 50% more expensive than when the platform launched in 2020, and the move runs against the way consoles usually behave over time. Prices typically fall as a machine ages, but Sony has taken the opposite path, following a round of increases by both Sony and Microsoft last year.
Mat Piscatella, who tracks the market for Circana, said the gains are being driven by wealthier buyers. He said U.S. spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled when compared with the same week a year ago, and that a bigger share of the market is going to people with higher incomes while lower-income consumers are struggling. Piscatella said the premium gaming space is leaning more and more on affluent buyers, and that the industry is leaving a whole portion of the market to Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox and mobile content.
Sony said last month that the higher prices were tied to the global economic landscape. The company and Microsoft both lifted console prices last year, citing U.S. tariffs, higher memory costs and broader macroeconomic conditions. The latest increase comes after a weak stretch for the market: hardware and software sales in the U.S. posted their worst November since tracking began in November 2019, underscoring how uneven demand has become even before the newest price jump.
For now, the Sony Playstation 5 is still selling, but the data point to a console business that is increasingly dependent on consumers who can absorb another price hike. The next test is whether the latest increases hold demand or begin to push the next wave of buyers toward cheaper entertainment options.
