A new PS5 for under $400 looks to be gone in the US, and Sony's official refurbished Slims now cost more than they did in April. This is where the cheap options stand as of Oct. 24, 2026, with each price dated and sourced.
Most of this is not new. The refurbished price hike dates to the spring, so treat this as a status check rather than breaking news.
The refurbished PS5 Slim got $100 more expensive
Shacknews reported on May 1, 2026 that Sony's US Certified Refurbished PS5 Slim prices had risen by $100 on the PlayStation Store. The Digital Edition went from $399.99 to $499.99, and the disc-drive model from $449.99 to $549.99. Shacknews credited a user named HazzadorGamin with spotting the change and said it confirmed the new prices on the store itself.
Notebookcheck covered the same increase on May 4, 2026. The page carries an "updated" stamp of Oct. 5, 2026, though it does not say what changed. Notebookcheck's own description of the hike was that Sony "quietly" raised the prices. Its piece also notes that Sony's refurbished Slims come with a full-year warranty and differ from new units only by minor cosmetic scuffs. We have not re-checked the live store listing ourselves, so confirm the current price before buying.
No new PS5 under $400
The other cheap route was the PS5 Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle, which Notebookcheck says offered a new Digital Edition variant for $399. Notebookcheck reports it is now sold out on Sony's website and at major retailers, so a new console at that price appears to be gone, though we haven't checked retailer stock ourselves.
The list prices underneath have also moved. Sony raised PS5 prices worldwide effective April 2, 2026, with the US Digital Edition at $599.99, the disc model at $649.99 and the PS5 Pro at $899.99, according to reports from Shacknews and others. Sony's cited reasons were pressures in the global economy. Coverage from Techspot and others points to memory costs, as chipmakers prioritise AI data centres, as the main driver. Notebookcheck separately reported on June 19, 2026 that Sony plans fewer PS5 discounts because high memory prices are eating into console profits. We only have the headline of that piece, so read it before leaning on it.
If your budget is higher, our earlier GameStop used PS5 Pro price report covers the used market at the top end.
The $399 option left comes with caveats
Notebookcheck says buyers can still pick up a refurbished original ("Fat") PS5 for $399. It has 825 GB of storage (667 GB usable, per Notebookcheck) against 1 TB on the Slim, and it is bulkier. The outlet also lists launch-model issues, including dust clogging the power supply's ventilation holes, overheating, and a liquid-metal interface that reportedly leaked when the console stood upright. Those are Notebookcheck's reported concerns, not our findings, and we haven't tested any of this hardware. IT Home in China separately reported the older refurbished disc model staying at $399.99 in small quantities.
A "$40" figure that appears on a PlayStation Direct page is a free-delivery threshold, not a console price.
PlayStation Direct is changing addresses, reportedly
German outlet MonsterDealz reports that PlayStation Direct is being folded into PlayStation.com. Its author checked on Oct. 15, 2026 that the German address now redirects to the hardware shop at playstation.com. The outlet says the Austria, France, Netherlands and UK addresses redirect as well, while the US address still loads normally, and that prices and terms are reportedly unchanged. MonsterDealz says Sony has not officially announced the move. We could not find a second source, so treat it as one outlet's report for now.
For anyone hunting a cheap PS5 this holiday season, the practical advice is dull: check the listed price on the day, because nothing here is guaranteed to stay put. We'll update when Sony confirms the Direct change or the refurbished prices move again.
Sources: Shacknews (May 1, 2026); Notebookcheck (published May 4, 2026, updated Oct. 5, 2026); Techspot and Washington Times coverage of the Sony price increase (March 2026); MonsterDealz (Oct. 2026); IT Home
