Introduction
The PS5 Pro has entered a strange new phase of its life cycle. GameStop is listing a preowned PS5 Pro Digital Edition at $1,399.99, while Sony’s current U.S. recommended retail price for a new PS5 Pro is $899.99. That is a $500 gap between used and new pricing, although the GameStop listing was reported as unavailable online when checked. TweakTown
The timing is difficult to ignore. New PS5 Pro inventory is reportedly tight at several retailers, while Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled to arrive on November 19, 2026. Rockstar itself says the game will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and its official site highlights PlayStation 5 as the platform where it “plays best.” Rockstar Games
That combination has turned a premium gaming console into an increasingly expensive ticket to the biggest game launch of the year.
Background and Context
The PS5 Pro was already an unusually expensive mid-generation upgrade when Sony launched it in November 2024.
According to Wccftech’s account of the pricing history, the console originally launched in the U.S. at $699.99. Sony subsequently raised the price to $749.99 in August 2025, before another increase in April 2026 took the recommended retail price to $899.99. Wccftech
Sony’s own announcement confirms that the latest U.S. PS5 Pro MSRP became $899.99 on April 2, 2026. Sony attributed the broader console price increases to continued pressures in the global economic environment. PlayStation.Blog
That would normally be the point where the economics become straightforward: pay $899.99 for a new console, or wait for discounts and used inventory.
Instead, the market has flipped.
GameStop’s reported preowned pricing is now higher than the manufacturer’s recommended price for a new unit.
Latest Update: GameStop’s Used PS5 Pro Costs More Than New
The headline number is $1,399.99 for a preowned digital PS5 Pro.
TweakTown found GameStop’s U.S. website listing a preowned unit at that price, compared with $899.99 displayed for the new condition. GameStop Pro members were shown a preowned price of $1,329.99, still $430 above the listed new price. The preowned unit was marked unavailable online at the time of the report. TweakTown
The story gets even stranger with an apparent internal GameStop memo circulated online.
According to TweakTown, the document lists preowned digital PS5 Pro systems at $1,399.99 and physical configurations at $1,499.99. It also includes special editions, with corresponding trade values of $800 and $850. TweakTown
Wccftech reported the same alleged pricing structure and said the memo instructed employees to implement the changes on October 6. Wccftech
There is an important caveat here: the memo has not been independently authenticated by GameStop. TweakTown also noted a timing inconsistency in the document. The retailer’s website listing confirms the $1,399.99 asking price, but it does not independently prove every detail in the leaked document. TweakTown
Tom’s Hardware likewise reported that the higher preowned pricing was appearing on GameStop’s website, while noting the unusual gap between new and refurbished inventory. Tom’s Hardware
Expert Insights or Analysis
The most important detail is that this does not necessarily mean a used PS5 Pro is suddenly worth $1,400.
It means scarcity has distorted the retail market.
A new PS5 Pro at $899.99 is valuable only if consumers can actually buy one. When new inventory disappears, the manufacturer’s recommended retail price stops functioning as the effective market price.
Tom’s Hardware reported that Sony, GameStop and Target were listing the PS5 Pro at $899.99 but were out of stock, while Best Buy and Walmart had units available at substantially higher prices. Tom’s Hardware
That creates an unusual hierarchy:
- Sony MSRP: $899.99
- GameStop preowned listing: $1,399.99
- GameStop Pro member preowned price: $1,329.99
- Reported GameStop physical preowned price: $1,499.99
- Some major retailers: prices substantially above MSRP
- Secondary-market sealed units: reportedly around $1,300 or more
The used market is effectively responding to availability rather than depreciation.
Normally, buying used means accepting some wear in exchange for a lower price. Here, buyers are potentially paying a premium simply because the product is obtainable.
That is a very different kind of hardware market.
Why the PS5 Pro Shortage Is Happening
Several forces are colliding.
AI Is Competing for Memory
Tom’s Hardware points to the broader memory shortage as one factor affecting PS5 Pro availability. AI data centers are consuming enormous quantities of high-bandwidth memory and other memory products, while manufacturers have shifted capacity toward the more lucrative AI market. Tom’s Hardware
The effect can travel far beyond graphics cards and servers.
If memory manufacturers prioritize high-margin AI infrastructure, consumer electronics companies can face tighter supplies and higher component costs.
That does not mean every dollar of the PS5 Pro’s price increase can be directly attributed to AI. But the broader memory squeeze is becoming a consumer-hardware story, not just a data-center story.
Sony Has Already Raised the PS5 Pro Price
The $899.99 price tag is not the original price.
Sony’s official U.S. pricing history shows the PS5 Pro moved from $749.99 after the August 2025 increase to $899.99 effective April 2, 2026. PlayStation.Blog
That means consumers are confronting both higher production economics and tighter availability.
GTA 6 Is Approaching
Then there is the elephant in the room.
Grand Theft Auto VI is officially scheduled for November 19, 2026. Rockstar’s website lists PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as platforms, while explicitly highlighting PS5 as a platform on which the game plays best. Rockstar Games
That gives prospective PS5 Pro buyers a powerful reason to upgrade right now.
For a casual shopper, waiting six months for a better console may be easy.
For someone who has spent years waiting for GTA 6, the calculation can look very different.
Broader Implications
The PS5 Pro situation illustrates a bigger problem emerging across consumer electronics.
Technology pricing is increasingly being shaped by competing demand for the same underlying components.
AI data centers want memory.
Gaming consoles need memory.
PCs need memory.
Smartphones need memory.
Automobiles increasingly contain large amounts of computing hardware.
When one sector can pay more aggressively than the others, the entire hardware ecosystem feels the pressure.
The result is a market where a gaming console can become more expensive years after launch, rather than cheaper.
That is almost the opposite of the traditional console cycle.
For years, consumers expected hardware to depreciate. A PlayStation or Xbox might launch at a premium and then become progressively cheaper as manufacturing matured.
The current PS5 Pro market suggests that assumption is becoming less reliable.
For more coverage of the collision between AI infrastructure and consumer hardware, see the gaming and technology coverage at The Tech Marketer.
Related History or Comparable Technologies
The closest historical comparison is not another PS5.
It is the broader console market during periods of semiconductor shortages.
The PS5’s early years were dominated by supply constraints, scalpers and unusually high secondary-market prices. But the normal expectation was that availability would eventually improve and prices would settle.
The PS5 Pro is facing a different combination of pressures.
Its original price was already positioned above the standard console. Sony then raised the MSRP again, component costs became more difficult, and a blockbuster game is approaching that could drive another wave of demand.
The result is a premium machine whose resale economics are behaving more like a scarce collectible than ordinary consumer electronics.
There is also a historical parallel with GPUs.
During major cryptocurrency and later AI-driven hardware shortages, consumers frequently encountered retail prices disconnected from manufacturers’ suggested prices. Scarcity transformed ordinary components into speculative assets.
The PS5 Pro is not necessarily becoming a speculative asset. But its current pricing demonstrates the same basic mechanism: when supply disappears, MSRP loses its power.
What Happens Next
The biggest question is whether the current shortage survives until GTA 6 launches.
If Sony replenishes PS5 Pro inventory before November 19, the unusual used-market premium could collapse quickly.
If supply remains constrained, the opposite could happen.
Demand could intensify as the launch approaches, particularly among players who want the highest-end PlayStation experience for Rockstar’s new game.
GameStop’s pricing will also be worth watching.
A $1,399.99 preowned listing does not necessarily mean the company will sell large quantities at that price. It may instead reflect a retailer adjusting inventory economics to a market where replacement stock is difficult to obtain.
There is another possibility: consumers simply refuse to pay.
The standard PS5 models remain a much cheaper entry point, and buyers who primarily want access to GTA 6 do not technically need a PS5 Pro. Rockstar lists the game for the standard PS5 platform as well. Rockstar Games
That gives consumers an escape hatch.
The PS5 Pro may offer the premium experience, but the game itself does not require the premium machine.
Conclusion
The PS5 Pro has reached an extraordinary moment in the console market: a used unit at GameStop can now be listed for roughly $500 more than Sony’s official price for a new one.
That does not mean a preowned console is intrinsically worth $1,399.
It means supply, component costs and demand have temporarily overwhelmed the normal rules of hardware depreciation.
The looming release of Grand Theft Auto VI is adding another layer of pressure. With Rockstar’s game scheduled for November 19 and PS5 highlighted as a platform where it plays best, the incentive to secure a premium console is arriving at exactly the wrong moment for shoppers. Rockstar Games
For consumers, the lesson is simple: do not confuse a retailer’s asking price with the true value of the hardware.
If new PS5 Pro inventory returns, the $1,399 used listings could look absurd very quickly.
For now, though, the market is proving just how expensive scarcity can become.
FAQ
Why is the PS5 Pro so expensive at GameStop?
GameStop has listed a preowned PS5 Pro Digital Edition at $1,399.99, while the current Sony MSRP for a new PS5 Pro is $899.99. Reported shortages of new units appear to be a major factor. TweakTown
Is the $1,399 PS5 Pro actually worth buying?
Not necessarily. The $1,399.99 figure is a retailer listing, not evidence that the console’s underlying value has increased by $500. Consumers should compare availability at multiple retailers and consider whether they actually need the Pro model.
Why are PS5 Pro prices rising?
The sources point to several factors, including tight inventory, increased component costs and memory-market pressure associated with demand from AI data centers. Tom’s Hardware
Is GTA 6 causing the PS5 Pro shortage?
The sources connect the expected GTA 6 launch with increased demand for the PS5 Pro, but they do not establish that GTA 6 alone caused the shortage. Rockstar has confirmed a November 19, 2026 release date and lists PS5 as a platform. Wccftech
When did the PS5 Pro launch?
The PS5 Pro launched in November 2024 at a U.S. price of $699.99, according to the pricing history reported by Wccftech. Wccftech
What is the current official PS5 Pro price?
Sony’s current U.S. recommended retail price is $899.99, effective April 2, 2026. PlayStation.Blog
Sources & References
- TweakTown: GameStop lists used PS5 Pro for $500 more than a new console
- Tom’s Hardware: Refurbished PS5 Pros now cost $1,399 at GameStop, 50% more than new ones
- Wccftech: The GTA VI Rush Is Drying Up New PS5 Pro Stock, and GameStop Now Wants $1,399 for Used Units
- Sony PlayStation Blog: New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player
- Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto VI
