Sale PlayStation 5 rose in early April in the U.S., according to data from a retail tracking service. However, the reason why PS5 sales were up in the US was for an unfortunate reason, as customers rushed to stores to buy the new console before Sony raised the prices of the PS5 line across the board.
Despite being on the market since November 2020, PS5 sales have maintained a similar sales trajectory to its predecessor, the PS4. Despite the growing sales of the Nintendo Switch 2, the PS5 sold two consecutive months ahead of the Switch 2 to start 2026. While Sony's console still holds a significant share of the market, the Switch 2 still outperforms the original Switch when we compare launches in similar time frames. Ergo, the PS5 is still gaining new users at a decent rate despite a strong surge from Nintendo.
New PS Plus Extra and Premium games for April 2026 officially revealed
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The increase in the price of the PS5 caused customers to buy one early
Unsurprisingly, US weekly PlayStation 5 hardware sales per unit and $ hit a 2026 high during the week ending April 4, as price increases loomed. US spending on video game hardware this week nearly doubled compared to the same week a year ago. Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service — Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T12:21:16.462Z
As the ongoing DRAM shortage crisis hit the gaming industry, customers who were on the fence about getting a PS5 didn't hesitate to get one. According to Circana's Mat Piscatella, US weekly PS5 hardware sales and profits for the week of March 29 to April 4 reached the highest in 2026. Piscatella noted that US spending on video game hardware nearly doubled in 2026 compared to the same point in 2025. However, customers might be forced to sell the PS5 when it arrives. With Sony raising the price of the PS5 due to rising costs of core components, customers who wanted the PS5 had until April 2nd before Sony's price hike took effect.
At the time of writing, the price of the new PS5 console now starts at $599 for the digital edition, compared to the previous price of $499. The PS5 Pro saw the biggest price increase as it now costs $899, up from $749, excluding any taxes and fees. The PS5 price increase was largely a gradual rollout, as some social media users reported that some major retailers still had stock at the previous price points. In early April, PS5 bundles at Costco were still going for around $599, which included a PS5 slim with a disc drive and an extra DualSense controller as part of the deal.
Being a console gamer in 2026 isn't easy
The fact that users decided to buy a PS5 console to beat the impending price hike is an unfortunate testament to how expensive console gaming has become in 2026. With the RAM crisis showing no clear signs of slowing down anytime soon, it's possible that console prices could rise throughout 2026 and beyond. It remains to be seen when customers will start to feel some relief.
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New PS5 users looking for games to play will be spoiled for choice in 2026's list of video game launches. WITH Saros will arrive on April 30th as a PS5 exclusive title and third-party blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto 6 Arriving later in the year, the PS5's game library will be significantly boosted in 2026.
