PlayStation 6 Price Tag Has Gamers Ready To Ditch Consoles Forever

Published Oct 17, 2026, 3:21 AM EDT Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section. He still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase, and knows more about The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who than is probably healthy. Ewan oversees the content operation of ScreenRant's gaming output, working with a talented team of writers and editors to cover everything from the latest GTA 6 news to the indie games you need on your radar. Former Editor of GAMINGbible, Ewan also has words at Kotaku, Den of Geek, NME, and UNILAD. He's appeared on various podcasts, including VGC's and BBC's Let's Talk About Tech. With PlayStation and other console makers continuing to raise the price of the current generation of consoles, gamers everywhere are looking to the next generation with genuine concern that they might finally be priced out of a hobby they love. Sony's latest console, the PlayStation 5 Pro now costs $899.99 as of the most recent price hike. By comparison, the base PlayStation 5 is $599.99, which means it's now an extra $200 more than it was at launch. This is unheard of, for a console celebrating its six-year anniversary to be more expensive than it was at launch, but with the increasing costs of hardware and tariffs, it's hardly surprising. The PlayStation 6 Could Cost Up To $1,000 With rumors swirling that the PlayStation 6 might not be so far away, what does this mean for gamers? According to consultant Dr. Serkan Toto, the PlayStation 6, which is rumored to launch as early as 2027, could cost upwards of $1000, making it the first console to hit that four-figure sum. In an interview with Games Radar, industry researcher Joost van Dreunen agreed with Toto, saying, “We're quickly moving towards a world in which a $1,000 console will be the norm, and console gaming will become a luxury expenditure." “They really don't want to raise prices on their hardware, because that part is usually a heavily subsidized part of the equation and the sale of games is the gravity point of their revenue model. I predict that the next generation of console hardware will start at a 50% higher price point than the current one did.” This is also a sentiment shared by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, who added, “Could we see $1,000 pricing? Sure, that's possible. I would really hate to see that, but it's possible.” In an investor Q&A from June this year, Sony touched on pricing for future hardware. As reported by VGC, the company stated: "As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing." There Aren't Too Many Gamers Who Want To Pay So Much Sony has been one of the big players since the PlayStation released in 1994, and it's cultivated a hardcore fanbase over the last 30 years. But as the cost of pretty much everything continues to rise, the concept of a $1000 console becomes an even tougher pill to swallow than it would have been even a few years ago. "If the next generation comes at a $1000 price point I will ride my Series X as long as it lasts and then maybe consider buying a used next gen console," writes one Reddit gamer. "If they can be had for a reasonable price." Another added: "$1000 consoles to play $100 mediocre games that take 6 years to make and you won't even own. Yeah, they can keep their 'new' generation." "I can't think of a future where consoles aren't dead if this goes on," said a third. "Why drop $1000 on a digital only console that has one storefront controlled by the people that made the console when you could build a decent PC for $1500-$2000 it'll last longer, it'll play more games, and you have multiple storefronts to choose from." With many agreeing that committing to a gaming PC will be more worth it in the long run, whilst others hoping that their PlayStation 5 will still keep them going for the next few years, it seems as though Sony is going to see some much lower figures when it comes to the unit sales of the PlayStation 6.