When to buy a PS5 for less: prices, bundles and the best times

The best time to buy a PS5 is usually Black Friday (27 November 2026) and the wider year-end period, when Sony and retailers launch their offers, along with one-off retailer promotions on bundles. Be aware: unlike most tech products, the PS5's official price hasn't fallen over time, it rose by €100 on 2 April 2026 in Europe. Waiting is not a strategy on its own: you need to watch the actual price to catch a genuine drop.

What does a PS5 cost in France and Europe in 2026?

Sony announced on its official blog a rise in recommended retail prices across the range, effective in Europe from 2 April 2026. Current recommended prices in euros:

Model	RRP before 2 April 2026	RRP since 2 April 2026
PS5 (with disc drive)	€549.99	€649.99
PS5 Digital Edition	€499.99	€599.99
PS5 Pro	€799.99	€899.99

These are recommended prices: retailers are free to sell for less, and that's exactly where deals come from. On the other hand, some third-party marketplace sellers list consoles above the recommended price.

Why the PS5 got more expensive instead of cheaper

Consoles usually get cheaper as they age. In Europe, the PS5 has gone the other way:

• August 2022: European price rise, the PS5 moves to €549.99 and the Digital Edition to €449.99, with Sony citing inflation and exchange rates.
• November 2024: the PS5 Pro launches at €799.99, sold without a disc drive.
• 14 April 2025: the Digital Edition rises to €499.99; the disc model's price stays the same.
• 2 April 2026: a €100 rise on all three models, which Sony put down to "continued pressures" in the global economic landscape.

The lesson is simple: there's no "natural" price drop to wait for. Savings come from temporary discounts (events, bundle clearance, a retailer's own offer) that push the actual price below the recommended one. Those windows are often short.

When to buy a PS5: the yearly calendar

Here are the periods to watch. These are patterns, not promises: Sony doesn't necessarily repeat its offers from one year to the next.

Period	Rating	What happens
January	Average	French winter sales (6 January – 2 February 2027): some leftover holiday bundles cleared.
February – April	Weak	Quiet period; spring is also when the latest official price rises landed.
Late May – June	Average	Days of Play, Sony's annual sale (27 May to 10 June in 2026, with no console discount announced that year); Prime Day in some years.
July – October	Average	Summer sales, back to school, retailers' autumn events; a good time to learn the real price.
November	Good	Black Friday and Cyber Monday; in 2025, Sony announced console discounts in select regions.
December	Average	Strong pre-Christmas demand; plenty of bundles, but stock can be tight.

Days of Play: useful for accessories

In 2026, Days of Play focused on games, accessories and PlayStation Plus. Sony also said that in several European countries including France, PlayStation Plus members ordering from PlayStation Direct got an extra 5% off PS5 hardware and accessories. Handy for a controller or headset, less so for the console itself.

Black Friday 2026: should you wait to buy a PS5?

Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November 2026, with Cyber Monday on 30 November. In 2025, Sony announced on its blog discounts on the PS5, PS5 Digital Edition and PS5 Pro "in select regions" from 21 November, on its own store and at participating retailers. Nothing guarantees the same in 2026, but it has historically been the most favourable period.

One factor will weigh on this year-end: Grand Theft Auto VI, set by Rockstar Games for release on 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, eight days before Black Friday. A launch like that can bring dedicated bundles as well as stronger demand for consoles, which is all the more reason to know the real price in advance rather than decide on the day.

Don't trust the crossed-out price

A discount shown against the recommended price tells you nothing about what the console cost yesterday. In France, since 28 May 2022, the reference price for a discount must in principle be the lowest price of the previous 30 days (article L112-1-1 of the Consumer Code). Our guide to the 30-day rule and our tips to spot a fake discount help you sort deals out. For the whole event, see our Black Friday 2026 guide.

PS5 bundles: real saving or false bargain?

A bundle (console plus game, or console plus a second controller) can be the best deal around, as long as you do the maths honestly:

1. Note the price of the console on its own at the same retailer, on the same day.
2. Add the actual price of the included game or accessory, not its launch price: an older game is often cheaper.
3. Only count what you would really have bought. A game you don't want is worth nothing to you.
4. Check the game format (download code or disc) and the exact console model included.

Hypothetical example: if a bundle costs €60 more than the console alone and includes a game you were going to buy for €70, the saving is real. If you didn't want that game, you're paying €60 too much.

PS5, Digital Edition or PS5 Pro: which one to track?

• PS5 with disc drive: for physical games you can resell or buy second-hand, and for Blu-ray playback.
• PS5 Digital Edition: cheaper, but every game is bought as a download. Sony's separately sold disc drive can be added later; do the maths before choosing.
• PS5 Pro: to get the most out of compatible games on a 4K TV, sold without a disc drive. It only makes sense if your screen can benefit; see also when to buy a TV.

If you're torn between two models, track both: the real price gap between them changes with promotions and can make the higher model the better buy at a given moment.

Used or refurbished PS5: a good deal?

With new prices rising, used and refurbished consoles have become more tempting. A few precautions:

• From a business, you get the legal guarantee of conformity and, online, generally a 14-day right of withdrawal in the EU. Private sales don't carry those protections.
• Check the exact model, that the controller and HDMI cable are included and, for a Digital Edition, that there's no disc drive.
• Ask whether the console has been removed from the previous owner's PlayStation account.
• Compare with the current new price: during a promotion, a new console can cost almost the same as a used one.

Track a PS5 price without watching ten tabs

The real problem with the PS5 is that good offers are short-lived and scattered: a bundle at one retailer, a Digital Edition discount at another, a third-party seller above the recommended price. Checking all that by hand every day costs time, and you risk missing the window or paying for a fake deal.

UniverTrack does that work for you. Paste the link to the console, bundle or controller (Amazon, Cdiscount, and other retailer sites on a best-effort basis): the price is checked automatically, a dated history builds up (on Amazon, past history can also be shown) and you get an email when the price drops below your target. Everything is explained in our guide to setting a price drop alert.

Put it into practice: buy your PS5 at the right price

1. Paste the link of the PS5 you want, plus any bundles you're considering, into UniverTrack.
2. Set a target price clearly below the recommended price, using the price history.
3. Get the alert as soon as the price hits it, then buy without delay: console deals rarely last.

To track a single console, the Découverte plan (€3.99/month) is enough. If you're also watching bundles, games and accessories, and want to catch fake Black Friday discounts, the Malin plan (up to 50 products, fake-discount detection) fits best. Compare plans on the pricing page; all of them start with a 14-day free trial, no commitment.