Sony has announced that it is contemplating price increases due to the significant impact of tariffs on its business operations. In its financial report for the fiscal year ending March 2025, and during a subsequent investor Q&A session, Sony's executives elaborated on how these tariffs are affecting the company.

Sony's Chief Financial Officer, Lin Tao, revealed that the tariffs could impose a financial burden of approximately 100 billion yen ($685 million) on Sony, based on currently announced tariffs. This impact is particularly felt in Sony's hardware sector, which includes the manufacturing of video game consoles like the PlayStation 5.

Sony's CEO, Hiroki Totoki, specifically addressed the PlayStation, suggesting that manufacturing consoles in the U.S. could be a strategy to mitigate the effects of tariffs. He stated, "These hardware of course can be produced locally. I think that would be an efficient strategy. But PS5 is being manufactured in many areas. Whether it’s going to be manufactured in the U.S. or not, it needs to be considered going forward. We are not in such a critical situation."

Sony's Hiroki Totoki is considering producing the PS5 in the United States due to the Tarrifs. "It needs to be considered going forward" pic.twitter.com/c1cEQIwXA4

— Destin (@DestinLegarie) May 14, 2025

Analysts speaking to IGN anticipate that Sony might follow the lead of Nintendo and Microsoft by increasing game prices to $80. There is also speculation that the PS5, particularly the PS5 Pro, could see a price hike. This has led some consumers to purchase the console preemptively before any official announcement.

Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at Niko Partners, noted that Sony has already increased console prices in regions outside the U.S. but hinted at potential future increases in the U.S. market. "Sony has raised the price of its console multiple times outside the U.S.," he said. "There is a reluctance from both Sony and Microsoft to raise prices in the U.S. given the size and importance of the market when it comes to console sales. That being said, we would not be surprised to see Sony follow suit with price increases on the PS5 in the U.S."

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View 14 ImagesJames McWhirter, senior analyst at Omdia, added further context, stating, "PS5 hardware is predominantly manufactured in China, exposing Sony's supply chain to greater risk from tariffs originating from the U.S. Yet what we consistently observe in the console market is that up to half of consoles are typically sold during Q4, the final quarter of the year. This bought both Microsoft and Sony more time to rely on existing inventories. In 2019, consoles were granted an exemption from tariffs on goods from China, but this ruling did not come into effect until August.

"With Microsoft having blinked first with price readjustments this week, it now opens the door for Sony to follow with PS5. This is going to be a particularly tough decision in the U.S., the world's largest console market, which has historically been spared — save for PS5 Digital rising by $50 in late 2023."