{"id":19527,"date":"2026-05-09T05:21:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/19527\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T05:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:21:26","slug":"ps5-will-soon-be-cheaper-than-switch-2-in-japan-but-is-it-going-to-make-any-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/19527\/","title":{"rendered":"PS5 Will Soon Be Cheaper Than Switch 2 in Japan, But Is It Going to Make Any Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PS5<\/a> Image: Push Square<\/p>\n

In an unexpected twist<\/a>, the Switch 2 will cost more than the PS5 in its native Japan when its price increases on 25th May.<\/p>\n

Nintendo, like all console manufacturers, has been under intense pressure to retain the price of its hardware.<\/p>\n

It cites \u201cchanges in market conditions\u201d as the reason for the increase, which include soaring memory prices caused by AI and the global economic impact of the US and Israel\u2019s war with Iran.<\/p>\n

But the big surprise here is that its Japan-only language locked Switch 2 model will jump \u00a510,000 (~$63), from \u00a549,980 (~$320) to \u00a559,980 (~$383).<\/p>\n

While Sony increased the price of all PS5 models worldwide last month<\/a>, it retained the MSRP of its own Japan-only language locked console at \u00a555,000 (~$351).<\/p>\n

This means that starting 25th May, the PS5 will technically be \u00a54,980 (~$31) cheaper than the Switch 2, excluding any deals or retailer promotions.<\/p>\n

Will the Lower Price Improve PS5\u2019s Fortunes in Japan?<\/p>\n

The PS5 has been struggling against the Switch 2 in its home territory.<\/p>\n

In the most recent Famitsu report<\/a> (via Gematsu<\/a>), covering the week-long period ending 26th April, the Switch 2 sold 45k units compared to the PS5\u2019s 13k units.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that the PS5 is several years older than Nintendo\u2019s hybrid at this point, so that will be having an affect on its overall performance.<\/p>\n

But the real problem for PlayStation is that it simply doesn\u2019t have the games Japanese gamers want to play.<\/p>\n

In the aforementioned Famitsu sales report, the best-selling game was life sim Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream<\/a>, which added a further 178k units to its total. Since its release in mid-April, it\u2019s sold almost 750k units domestically.<\/p>\n

In second place? The Switch 2 exclusive Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia<\/a>, which is also nearing one million units sold since its introduction in early March.<\/p>\n

While Tomodachi Life can also be played on the original Switch, the Japanese sales charts are absolutely dominated by Nintendo titles, including Switch 2 exclusives like Mario Kart World<\/a> and its updated re-release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Out of the top 30 games for the week mentioned above, only two PS5 games made the list: Pragmata<\/a> and Crimson Desert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While free-to-play games, like the newly released gacha game NTE<\/a>, will prove popular titles for Sony in Japan, they can also be played on PC and mobile, limiting their impact on the PS5 overall.<\/p>\n

Thus, we reckon Nintendo\u2019s newly announced price increase is more likely to reduce Switch 2 sales than improve PS5\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

The reality is, even if it is set to become more affordable by comparison, Japanese consumers can\u2019t play Tomodachi Life or Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia on a PS5 \u2013 and for Sony, in its home market, that\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n

What do you make of this news that the PS5 is about to become cheaper than the Switch 2 in Japan? Do you think it\u2019ll have any material impact on sales? Let us know in the comments section below.<\/p>\n

Will PS5 being cheaper than Switch 2 matter in Japan? (403 votes)
\nYes, price always matters10%Maybe slightly19%No, Nintendo\u2019s games are too strong54%Sony needs more Japanese games17%<\/p>\n

[source nintendolife.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\tSee Also<\/p>\n

\"Sammy<\/p>\n

As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He\u2019s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Image: Push Square In an unexpected twist, the Switch 2 will cost more than the PS5 in its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8,33,6859,483,2042],"class_list":{"0":"post-19527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-japan","8":"tag-japan","9":"tag-nihon","10":"tag-nintendo","11":"tag-ps5","12":"tag-sony"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}