Sony Announces Cheaper PS5 Model, There's One Catch

Sony announces a cheaper PlayStation 5 model, which is great, but there is one major catch that might bum you out.

Maintaining our hobby of playing video games is never cheap, especially when it comes to keeping up with major releases. This is why subscription services such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass can be ideal ways to save money compared to buying at least one new AAA game each month.

The most ideal of the two subscription services in that respect is the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, as it includes first-party Microsoft titles at launch. Don’t get me wrong, PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium have that too, sometimes, but that’s mostly related to indie games and what some might call AA releases.

Gaming is not cheap!

Moreover, making sure we have the latest PC hardware and consoles is absolutely not cheap either, especially with the cost of consoles continually on the rise.

I can’t remember another console generation like this, where consoles get more expensive the older they get.

The rise of console prices does make me a little concerned about how expensive the next PlayStation and Xbox systems might be, but that’s a conversation for another day.

However, Sony has announced a brand new, cheaper PlayStation 5 model, which should be great news for us all. Sadly, that is not quite the case, unless you live in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Announced during last night’s Japanese-focused State of Play digital event, a new PlayStation 5 825GB Digital Edition console was announced, but it’s for Japan only, releasing on 21 November 2025.

The console will cost ¥55,000, which works out to be around £270 / $355. To compare, the version of that console in the UK has an RRP of £429.99, which is a whopping £160 more.

You could import the Japanese PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, especially with it being region-free.

However, you would likely have to pay a sizable delivery fee to import, not to mention customs charges on top. So, it might not be worth going down that route.

I’d like to think that Sony will release a cheaper PlayStation 5 over in the West soon, but I won't hold my breath.

I suppose there’s a chance of that happening the closer we get to the launch of the PlayStation 6. We shall see.

The PlayStation 6 is currently expected to be released sometime in 2027.