Image: Push Square
Unsurprisingly, US consumers flocked to stores to pick up PS5 hardware prior to the console’s enormous price increase earlier this month.
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reveals that Sony’s console enjoyed its highest sales of 2026 so far during the week ending 4th April.
The system’s price increase officially went into effect on 2nd April, but the news was announced a few days earlier, on 27th March, giving consumers an opportunity to act.
Piscatella says the system achieved calendar year highs for both units and dollar sales, and “US spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled when compared to the same week a year ago”.
Unsurprisingly, US weekly unit and $ sales of PlayStation 5 hardware reached 2026 highs during the week ending April 4th, as price increases loomed.
US spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled when compared to the same week a year ago.
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T12:21:16.462Z
Of course, this brief uplift will be balanced against a subsequent decline, as we can’t imagine Sony’s system will be doing much business outside of big game releases or promotional periods for the remainder of the year.
As a reminder, the cheapest PS5 Digital Edition model now costs $599.99, an eye-watering $200 more than it cost at launch almost six years ago.
Sony has blamed a number of economic headwinds, including the surge in cost of materials like memory, for the increase.
Unless the launch of GTA 6 brings a miracle later this year, it’s going to struggle to maintain sales pace with the PS4, which was selling for as little as $299.99 during the same point in its respective lifespan.
Did you pick up a new PS5 prior to the price hike? Or are you happy with the hardware you’ve already got? Let us know below.
[source bsky.app]
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As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.