Sony Group Corp raised the price of its PlayStation 5 console by around 25% in Europe and in the UK ahead of a likely US increase.

The company announced the decision on its PlayStation blog, with Australia and New Zealand also affected, citing inflation and “a backdrop of a challenging economic environment.” The PS5 will cost €500 (RM2,516) in Europe and £430 (RM2,494) in the UK from April 14.

The announcement of wide-ranging tariffs on imports to the US by President Donald Trump this month roiled stock markets, with US consumers bracing for price rises across a wide swathe of consumer goods. Bloomberg Intelligence analysts made a 30% hike for game consoles in the US their base-case scenario last week, with the expectation that such a move would require a global repricing.

The PlayStation 5 is now more than four years old, with Sony updating its lineup with a pricier, upgraded PS5 Pro edition. The Japanese company is not changing the price of that top-of-the-line machine. – Bloomberg