PS5 Price Hike Looms, Refurbs Save Big

PS5 prices jump by up to $150 tomorrow, so today is your last, best chance to save.

The Verge reports that Sony will raise the price on all PlayStation 5 consoles and the PS Portal, effective April 2, with increases of as much as $150 in some configurations. If you’re eyeing a console and want to dodge the higher sticker price, there’s a narrow window to act now through Sony’s own PlayStation Direct storefront. The refurbished options—touted as "tested to perform like new" and backed by a one-year warranty—offer the clearest path to lower upfront cost right before the price clock ticks up.

Sony’s refurbished lineup is straightforward: the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition refurbished is listed at $399, while the slim PS5 with disc drive refurbished goes for $449. The original PS5 model with a disc drive (the variant with an 825GB SSD) is also available refurbished at $399. The takeaway is simple: you don’t have to pay full retail to secure a current-gen console, at least for a short window. The refurbished stock is sold by PlayStation Direct, the company’s official storefront, and the one-year warranty helps mitigate risks that often accompany open-box or cosmetic units.

For buyers weighing the math, the key quantity isn’t just the headline price but the total cost of ownership. The deals highlighted by The Verge are strictly about the console price and the refurbished condition; there’s no mention of mandatory subscription fees to own the hardware itself. What remains an important caveat: subscriptions—such as online multiplayer or library access—are separate costs tied to the software and services you choose later, not a mandatory add-on to purchase the console. In other words, you can own the hardware now with no perpetual service commitment, but dreams of online play or extended game access will still involve optional recurring fees.

This moment highlights a simple truth for console shoppers: timing matters as much as hardware choice. If you’re budget-conscious and want to avoid the price uptick, refurbished from Sony’s official channel is the most reliable path. The stock and pricing are time-bound, and some configurations—particularly the Digital Edition—present the leanest entry point. For households weighing whether to jump to a disc-based PS5 or a digital-only model, the refurbished PS5 Digital Edition at $399 reduces upfront spend but foregoes a disc-based media library, while the $449 disc-drive option preserves physical game flexibility at a slightly higher sticker price.

Two practitioner takeaways for readers navigating this window:

Warranty and reassurance matter. The PS Direct refurbished units come with a one-year warranty, which is a meaningful counterweight to the risk of cosmetic wear or minor quirks in a refurb.

Model choice drives future cost. The Digital Edition saves money upfront and avoids disc-drive maintenance concerns, but you trade away physical games and resale flexibility. The 825GB SSD in the original disc-drive model is a reminder that internal storage, not just price, can drive future costs if you add games or apps.

Looking ahead, expect continued price pressure as new stock shipments land and demand for next-gen hardware remains robust. The current window—closing as price increases take effect—makes this a buyer’s moment for those who want to lock in savings without waiting for a future sale or refurbished surge again.

Verdict: Buy refurbished PS5 hardware now if you can swing it; wait only if you truly don’t need a console immediately and can gamble on future price movements; skip if you’re not in the market at all. The clock is ticking, and the cost gap between today and tomorrow could be the difference between a solid deal and a pricey upgrade.

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Today is the final day to save up to $150 on a PS5 before the price goes up