On November 21, 2025, Sony is planning to launch a Japan-exclusive version of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for ¥55,000. That’s basically around $355 — a shockingly cheap price tag when the same PS5 Digital Edition is now priced at $499 in the US instead. However, if this gamble doesn’t pay off, PlayStation may lean even harder into a ‘Japan comes last’ strategy going forward, according to one expert.
Why the urgency? For starters, PS5 sales in Japan have lagged, and many point to two major reasons. The fact that Nintendo Switch 2 continues to dominate local hardware sales, and Sony’s console has simply been a pricier ask for most Japanese gamers. After all, Nintendo released the Switch 2 at a lower price in Japan at around $323, versus the US launch price of $449. A move so effective — resulting in 10 million sales in 4 months — that Sony now seems to be copying its rival’s playbook.
“In fact, [PS5] sales in Japan have not been strong,” wrote Japanese gaming industry expert Meikou Kawamura. “[…] If this measure does not produce results, it’s possible that the next generation may lean even further towards the ‘Western first, Japan comes last’ approach.”
His concern echoes Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto’s comment that the PS5’s price point ‘remains a barrier’ for many consumers. Japanese netizens even joke that PS5 owners are ‘Barrier Dwellers,’ which pretty much reflects how big the problem is.
Some industry watchers believe this sudden attempt to win back the Asian market isn’t coming out of nowhere. Before, Sony has been steadily shifting its global priorities for years. It moved PlayStation’s HQ from Tokyo to California in 2016, enforced stricter content policies, and eventually shuttered Japan Studio in 2021.
Shuhei Yoshida said the decision to disband the AA team was in favor of ‘triple-A games’ that are perceived as more popular worldwide. “The market became really difficult for these kinds of games,” added Yoshida when speaking with the Sacred Symbol podcast. The message back then was clear: PlayStation was aiming West.
But with that history, it’s no surprise that critics view this new Japan-only PS5 less as a sincere return to roots and more as a reactive U-turn. Especially when PlayStation’s big Western bets haven’t exactly paid off either. Among hits like Spider-Man and Helldivers 2 lie stumbles such as Concord, an underperforming Bungie acquisition, and multiple high-profile live-service cancellations.
“It’s interesting to keep an eye on the year-end shopping season and see how far PS5 sales in Japan can rebound,” closed Kawamura.
