Sony has announced the release of a Japanese-language-only PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, which will launch exclusively in Japan at a discounted price.
Unveiled during its State of Play Japan broadcast, the cheaper console will cost 55,000 yen (roughly S$464) and will release on 21 November 2025. In comparison, the standard PS5 with a disc drive currently costs S$799 in Singapore (US$549.99 in the US), while its discless digital version costs S$669 (US$499.99 in the US).
Releasing the PS5 at a cheaper price in Japan is likely linked to Sony’s current strategy to increase sales of the console and grow its user base, and follows Nintendo’s similar strategy when it launched the Nintendo Switch 2 earlier in June, where the company also released a Japanese-language-only version of the hybrid console at roughly US$130 cheaper than its global counterparts.
This move does make sense, considering sales of the PS5 have yet to beat its predecessor, with Sony recently reporting that its newest console has shipped 84.2 million copies over the five years since its launch in November 2020, although this figure is still slightly behind that of the PS4, which sold 86.1 million units within the same time frame.
The Japan-only PS5 variant wasn’t the only new hardware unveiled during the State of Play broadcast, either, as Sony also announced its first-party PlayStation-branded 27-inch gaming monitor, which comes with many important features to enhance the gaming experience such as HDR support with Auto Tone Mapping, a 120Hz refresh rate with VRR support on console and 240Hz for PC and Mac, alongside a built-in charging hook for DualSense wireless controllers. The PlayStation monitor is set to launch in 2026 in the US and Japan.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
