If you were counting on a cheap second-hand PS5 Pro, you may want to hold off. GameStop is reportedly preparing to sell pre-owned PS5 Pro consoles taken in through trade-ins at prices well above what Sony charges for a brand new unit. In other words, the usual logic of buying used to save money stops working at this particular retailer.
What the leaked internal memo says
According to leaked internal guidelines sent to stores, GameStop plans to start charging more for a used PS5 Pro than for a new one. From October 16, pre-owned units are supposed to be listed at $1,399.99 for the digital edition and $1,499.99 for the version with a disc drive. That works out to roughly a $500 markup over the console’s official MSRP.
The retailer’s own website listings for pre-owned PS5 Pro consoles already show the higher prices.
- PS5 Pro Digital Edition – new $899.99, used $1,399.99
- PS5 Pro + Disc Drive – new $999.99, used $1,499.99
GameStop isn’t alone, but there’s a catch
Other retailers have also pushed PS5 Pro pricing upward. Listings at Best Buy and Walmart sit at or above the $1,500 mark as well. The key difference is that those are new consoles, while GameStop is asking comparable money for pre-owned hardware. You can see the current pre-owned listing on GameStop’s product page.
This isn’t the first time the chain has drawn criticism recently. It faced backlash over steep price increases on Pokemon TCG sets such as 30th Celebration, and it also made a $56 billion bid to acquire eBay, which was rejected.
Why prices are climbing right now
The most likely driver is demand ahead of GTA 6. Sony has been advertising that the game plays best on PlayStation, and pre-orders on PlayStation are reportedly outpacing Xbox by a 6:1 ratio. With the game launching next month, retailers appear to be positioning themselves to cash in on the rush.
Sony has also tightened access to the console in some regions – in Japan, buyers have to go through a lottery system to get one. On top of that, hardware prices across the board are rising as component costs, including RAM, push manufacturing expenses up. We cover this kind of shift regularly in our PlayStation news section.
What it means for you
Used consoles are normally the sensible budget route, but at these numbers the math no longer works. If you don’t absolutely need a PS5 Pro before GTA 6 arrives, waiting until the launch hype cools off is the safer play – prices on both new and pre-owned stock tend to settle once the initial surge passes.
If you’re still deciding which machine to go for in the first place, we’ve compared the options in our PS5 or Xbox Series X article, and once a console does land in your living room, our guide to the PS5 first setup walks you through the basics. Money saved by skipping an overpriced console can just as easily go toward games or a PlayStation Plus subscription instead.
FAQ
From October 16, the digital edition is set to be listed at $1,399.99 and the version with a disc drive at $1,499.99.
Yes. The PS5 Pro Digital Edition has an MSRP of $899.99 and the disc-drive version $999.99, so the used prices sit roughly $500 above new.
Best Buy and Walmart also have PS5 Pro listings at or above $1,500, but those are new consoles rather than pre-owned or refurbished units.
Demand ahead of GTA 6 is the main factor, combined with rising hardware manufacturing costs driven by components such as RAM.
Unless you need the console before GTA 6 launches, waiting until the hype around the game dies down is likely the cheaper option.