PS5 Price Hike Hits Japan Hard as PS5 Pro Sales Sink to Xbox Levels
Sony’s recent PS5 price increase, which took effect in April 2026, has had a significant negative impact on the Japanese gaming console market. The price hike has made non-language locked PS5 consoles substantially less attractive to Japanese consumers, leading to a sharp decline in sales.
According to the latest hardware sales data from Famitsu for the week ending April 5th, 2026, the PS5 Pro saw particularly weak performance with just 840 units sold. The standard disc-based PS5 fared slightly better but still remained depressed, shifting only 558 units during the same period. These sales figures are notably low—so diminished that they have fallen to levels comparable with competing Xbox console sales in the region.
The price hike appears to have backfired in the Japanese market specifically, where consumers had previously shown strong interest in PlayStation hardware. The timing of the announcement and subsequent price increases coincided with what industry observers viewed as a critical period for maintaining market momentum. The dramatic drop in PS5 Pro sales is particularly notable, as the premium console variant was expected to drive higher sales volumes despite its elevated price point.
These sales figures suggest that Japanese consumers have become price-sensitive regarding PlayStation hardware and may be reconsidering their purchasing decisions in light of Sony’s recent pricing strategy. The market response indicates that the price increase exceeded what many Japanese buyers were willing to pay, potentially driving them toward alternative gaming platforms or causing them to postpone console purchases entirely.