The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, both launched in November 2020, are still the current console generation from Sony and Microsoft. Both families have been revised since launch and both have become more expensive, so the choice is different from 2020. Prices below are recommended retail prices from the announcements and vary by country and retailer.
What is on sale
Sony sells the PS5 with a disc drive, the PS5 Digital Edition and the PS5 Pro. According to Wikipedia, the slimmer redesign replaced the original models in late 2023 and the Pro was released on November 7, 2024. Microsoft sells the Series X with a disc drive, an all-digital Series X, and the Series S in 512 GB and 1 TB versions. Wikipedia reports that the 2 TB Series X was discontinued as part of the August 2026 price change.
Prices in the US
Sony’s PlayStation Blog announced new recommended prices effective April 2, 2026: $649.99 for the PS5, $599.99 for the Digital Edition and $899.99 for the PS5 Pro. UK, European and Japanese prices rose too.
VGChartz reports that Microsoft’s increase took effect on August 1, 2026. In the US the Series S 512 GB is $499.99, the Series S 1 TB is $599.99, the Series X Digital is $749.99 and the Series X is $799.99.
In the US the standard PS5 therefore costs less than the Series X, and the Series S is the cheapest way in. Some third-party sites report later PS5 price cuts, but none could be matched to an official Sony post, so check Sony’s store before you buy.
Hardware
- PS5: custom AMD Zen 2 8-core CPU, RDNA 2 GPU with about 10.28 teraflops, 16 GB of GDDR6. The Pro raises the GPU to about 18 teraflops by Wikipedia’s count (Sony advertised 16.7), adds 2 TB of storage and an AI upscaling technology called PSSR, and has no disc drive.
- Series X: Zen 2 8-core CPU, RDNA 2 GPU with about 12.15 teraflops, 16 GB of GDDR6, 1 TB SSD, aimed at 4K at 60 fps.
- Series S: about 4 teraflops, 10 GB of memory, 512 GB or 1 TB, no disc drive, aimed at 1440p at 60 fps with up to 120 fps.
On paper the Series X has a stronger GPU than the standard PS5, and the PS5 Pro is the most powerful of the current models. Specification figures do not settle how an individual game runs, which depends on how it was built for each console.
Backward compatibility
The PS5 plays most PS4 games and PlayStation VR titles but does not support earlier generations directly. The Xbox Series consoles support nearly all Xbox One games plus select Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles, excluding Kinect-dependent games.
Subscriptions
PlayStation Plus lists Essential at $10.99 a month, Extra at $16.99 and Premium at $19.99 in the US; the game catalogue starts at Extra. Xbox Game Pass has Essential, Premium and Ultimate tiers; Xbox’s page says day-one releases come with Ultimate, and the library grows from 50+ games on Essential to 500+ on Ultimate. Check xbox.com for current monthly prices.
Which to choose
- Choose the PS5 for the lower entry price among the full-power consoles, or the PS5 Pro for the strongest hardware of the generation.
- Choose the Series X if Game Pass and Xbox’s back catalogue matter more than price.
- Choose the Series S for the lowest price, if a 1440p target and no disc drive are acceptable.
- Check which platform your friends use and which exclusive games you want before you pay.
Sources
- PlayStation Blog: new price changes for PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal
- VGChartz: Xbox Series X and S price officially increased again
- Wikipedia: PlayStation 5
- Wikipedia: Xbox Series X and Series S
- PlayStation Plus
- Xbox Game Pass
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