GameStop hikes used PS5 Pro price to $1400 as GTA 6 demand looms
GameStop has increased the price of a pre-owned PS5 Pro by 55% ahead of GTA 6’s release
Retailer GameStop has started selling pre-owned PlayStation 5 Pro consoles at a 55% markup compared to new units.
On Tuesday, an anonymous Reddit user posted what they claimed was an internal e-mail announcing the significant price hike for used PS5 Pro consoles.
No reason was given for the price increase in the alleged e-mail, but it noted that “the pre-owned consoles will have a higher price than the new console [and] this is intentional”.
Updated listings on the GameStop website have since confirmed that the price increase is legitimate.
Pre-owned standard PS5 Pro consoles are currently listed for $1399.99 (compared to the new price of $899.99). According to the ‘leaked’ internal e-mail, special edition versions will retail for even higher at $1499.99.
Currently, GameStop has no stock of new consoles online, so only the far more expensive used versions are available.
Although no explanation has been given for the price hike, it’s likely that the retailer is preparing to capitalize on demand driven by the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 next month. Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for release on November 19 and will likely drive a significant increase in PS5 and Xbox Series X console sales.
A GTA 6-fuelled console shortage could be on the way
One major retailer has even warned that the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 may lead to a shortage of consoles at Christmas.
A senior games buyer for an unnamed retailer told The Game Business this summer that the combination of component shortages and price increases mean consoles have been in shorter supply than usual, and the release of GTA 6 will “likely” lead to a situation where console stock sells out.
“We’ve been informed that because of the on-going issues around hardware component availability, we won’t be getting the units we want ahead of GTA,” the senior games buyer – speaking without his employer’s permission – told the publication. “Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year end period,” he added.
Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball previously sad that supply of Xbox consoles were already an issue.
“I can tell you definitively demand for our console exceeds the supply,” he said in in June. “We are putting them in as many stores as possible. We are producing them as quickly as possible. There is a severe limitation to how quickly we can do that, but it’s not a question of appetite.”
