Over the years, gaming has slowly become an expensive hobby. And the reasons range from rising game costs to the need for an improved internet connection for better gameplay; there are many hidden costs that are often overlooked.
And players are trying their best to work within budget without compromising on the quality of their experience.
Buying used electronics is usually one way for shoppers to save money.
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But GameStop is turning that assumption on its head for one of the most sought-after gaming consoles.
The video game retailer is listing a pre-owned or refurbished Sony PlayStation 5 Pro for $1,399.99, hundreds of dollars above what Sony says a brand-new console should cost.
GameStop Pro members fare slightly better, with the retailer listing the console at $1,329.99.
But even that means shoppers are paying about $430 more than Sony’s current recommended U.S. retail price of $899.99 for a new PS5 Pro.
And shoppers who want a PS5 Pro with a disc drive installed have to pay even more.
GameStop lists that version at $1,499.99, or $1,424.99 for Pro members.
That makes for an unusual choice for consumers: wait for a new console at Sony’s suggested price, or potentially spend hundreds more on one that has already been used.
PS5 Pro price change premium is not new
But this is not new for some PlayStation buyers who have paid considerably more for a hard-to-find console.
Partha Chatterjee, an avid gamer, faced that choice in 2021, when he paid $800 to a third-party seller for a PS5 with a $500 retail price.
“At the time, everyone was quoting random prices because you could not find the original console anywhere,” said Chatterjee. “For me, it was a question of waiting for it to become available or buying it and getting to play.”
He ultimately chose to pay the $300 premium.
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What makes the current PS5 Pro pricing particularly unusual, however, is not just the size of the markup. It is also where it is coming from.
During the original PS5 shortage, buyers often encountered inflated prices from individual sellers and third-party resellers.
This time, GameStop itself is listing a used PS5 Pro for $1,399.99, $500 above Sony’s $899.99 recommended price for a new console.
This marks a notable contrast with how the retailer responded to another major gaming price increase just last year.
In 2025, when Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $29.99 per month from $19.99, GameStop responded by saying it would continue to sell the subscription at the original $19.99 price, as TheStreet previously reported.
At the time, the retailer effectively gave customers a way to avoid Microsoft’s higher price.
Now, GameStop is taking a very different approach with Sony’s console.
GameStop raises prices on pre-owned PS5 Pro consoles.Narumon Bowonkitwanchai / Getty Images
PS5 Pro price has already climbed sharply
The premium is painful, considering how much the PS5 Pro’s price has already increased since it debuted.
Sony introduced the PS5 Pro in September 2024 at a U.S. manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $699.99, calling it its most advanced PlayStation console.
The system launched that November with a 2TB SSD, upgraded graphics processing, advanced ray tracing, and Sony’s AI-driven PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution technology.
Sony has since pushed the official price considerably higher.
In March, the company announced another round of PlayStation price increases, citing continued pressure in the global economic environment.
Effective April 2, Sony raised the U.S. recommended price of the PS5 Pro to $899.99.
However, GameStop still lists a new PS5 Pro at $899.99 on its website.
But the difference is availability.
The sharp price difference also comes as shoppers hunt for the premium console ahead of one of the biggest video-game releases in years.
GTA 6 puts new attention on PlayStation 5
After several delays, Grand Theft Auto VI is finally scheduled to launch Nov. 19, 2026, according to developer Rockstar Games.
The game will be available on PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and Rockstar’s own GTA VI website prominently markets the title as playing “best on PlayStation 5.”
That puts the game’s arrival just weeks away from the holiday shopping season and adds another reason for gamers to seek out the current-generation hardware.
Retailers are already signaling the demand.
A third-party seller on Best Buy currently lists a new PS5 Pro at $1,528 and labels the console a “high demand product,” warning shoppers that it is expected to sell out quickly.
GameStop’s pricing suggests that immediate access to a PS5 Pro is becoming valuable enough to reverse the usual relationship between new and used products.
For consumers, however, the math is difficult to ignore.
But, it also leaves shoppers willing to wait with a considerably cheaper target: Sony’s $899.99 official price.
However, because the wait is uncertain, sellers have more reason to sell products at a premium.
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