The PlayStation 5 is sold in several versions, and the difference between them comes down to one question: do you want a disc drive? Everything else, from price to size to noise, follows from that answer. Here’s a comparison, plus who each edition makes sense for.
Edition comparison
| Edition | Guide price (Czech retail) | Disc drive | Dimensions and weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | CZK 13,500–14,000 | yes, Blu-ray | 390 × 260 × 104 mm, 4.5 kg |
| Digital | CZK 11,000–12,000 | no | 390 × 260 × 92 mm, 3.9 kg |
| Slim | depends on version | optional (can be bought separately) | smaller than the original models |
Prices are approximate and change over time, so check the current price with your retailer.
Standard Edition: if you want discs
A disc drive isn’t just about playing physical games. In practice, it opens up a whole parallel economy:
- Physical PS5 and PS4 discs, including an older library you may already have at home.
- The secondhand market. Used games are often much cheaper than digital versions on sale.
- Lending games to friends, which simply isn’t possible with digital licenses.
- Blu-ray and 4K UHD movies: the console doubles as a player.
- Better resale value when you sell the console later.
Digital Edition: if you don’t miss discs
You save roughly CZK 2,500, and on top of that you get a cleaner design without the drive “bulge”, quieter operation and a slightly smaller, lighter console.
The catch is a big one: you’re tied exclusively to the PlayStation Store. Brick-and-mortar store discounts, the secondhand market and lending games are all off the table, and over the console’s lifetime, the savings you miss out on can add up to more than the CZK 2,500 you saved at checkout.
Slim models
Since late 2023, Sony has offered PlayStation 5 Slim models, which shrank the original console and simplified the lineup. The key difference from the first generation is the size itself; with some versions, you can add the disc drive later, so the “discs or no discs” decision doesn’t have to be final when you buy.
How to decide
- Do you have PS4 discs at home? Get the Standard. Backward compatibility pays off on day one.
- Do you buy games only digitally and on sale? The Digital is the cheaper and quieter choice.
- Planning to sell the console after a few years? The Standard holds its value better.
- Short on space, or is the console going by the TV in your living room? The size and noise of the Digital or Slim versions matter more than you’d expect.
And if you’re hesitating because a new generation is coming: the PS6 has no announced release date and the PS5 library will stay playable after it arrives.
FAQ
Whether there’s a Blu-ray drive. Game performance is the same on the standard and digital versions.
Roughly CZK 2,500 at purchase. Over the console’s lifetime, though, you can lose more by not having access to the secondhand market and in-store discounts.
Yes, the vast majority of PS4 games work on PS5. For discs, though, you need a disc drive, which means the Standard edition.
Yes, because it has no disc drive. The difference is most noticeable with physical games, which spin up the disc on the standard version.
No. Sony hasn’t announced the console, and at least a year usually passes between announcement and release, so waiting would mean years without playing.
Information verified as of 7 September 2026. Prices change faster than anything else in this article, so check the current price with your retailer. More console guides: transferring games and data from PS4 to PS5, when the PS6 comes out, GTA 5 cheats for PS5 and San Andreas codes. Everything about Sony’s consoles is in the PlayStation section.