PS5 vs PS5 Pro In 2026 | Don’t Pick Wrong!

So you finally decided to buy a PS5 or a PS5 Pro only to learn that it's been hit with a price hike. Lucky for you, I'm here to break down the two consoles to see if they're still worth picking up at these newly increased prices, how they stack up to a gaming PC, or if you should just wait for a PS6, and how to pick them up at a lower price. Be sure to leave a like and subscribe if you don't want another price increase. Let's get into the video. When the PS5 first launched in November 2020, the digital model was $400 and the disc model was $500. Then the slim released three years later for $450 digital, $500 disc. A few months ago, the slim went up to $500 digital, $550 disc. And now it's up again at $600 digital, $650 disc. And to clarify, the original PS5 is no longer sold new. So these are the best prices you're working with. The most painful price hike, however, comes to the PS5 Pro, which launched at $700, got raised a few months ago to $750, and is now $900. But it can sometimes be picked up open box for around $750 to $850, so keep an eye out for those deals. With these increased prices in mind, you might be wondering which console is right for you, or perhaps whether the base PS5 is good enough, because there really are only two differences that I, an avid PlayStation gamer, think actually matter. First, storage. The PS5 has one terabyte of storage, and the Pro doubles that to two terabytes. On my PS5 Pro, I have about a dozen AAA games downloaded, with some room for a couple more, but storage size per game will vary, so keep that in mind. Secondly, and the bigger deal, is that the PS5 Pro exclusively offers PSSR, which released recently via a firmware update in March 2026, got improved to PSSR 2.0. For context, the PS5 usually offers a choice between strong visuals at 30 frames per second, or weaker visuals, but you get 60 frames per second. With the PS5 Pro, you can get the best of both worlds. PSSR upscales games using AI for better resolution, even when settings like ray tracing are enabled, so that the game still looks like it's 4K. And PSSR 2's 2.0 update from March further improved these capabilities. And if you want to know more about PSSR, check out my tech translated video as I break down what PSSR does, and how it compares to things like DLSS. PSSR 2.0 is the PS5 Pro's secret weapon. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 can use higher ray tracing settings to give games a more lifelike experience. Just look at the difference. Most of the PS5 Pro games I've played are dramatically improved, both performance and graphics wise, over their PS5 versions with the PSSR 2.0 update. Which, by the way, you can enable in settings, and it applies to all games that run the original PSSR. We also have a short on our channel that breaks down my 3 favorite PSSR games for PS5 Pro, so be sure to check those out. But is PSSR 2.0 enough to justify spending $900? For the $300 difference in price, there is a pretty big difference in performance compared to PS5. But if the price doesn't scare you, you'll be happy with what the Pro can deliver. However, there are two more things you should keep in mind before investing. The first and most common question I see is for that price, should I just build a gaming PC? Just hear me out, okay? For $900, the PS5 Pro will offer the better performance for the money compared to a similarly priced PC counterpart. And before you get mad at me in the comments, one example of proof is this Digital Foundry video that put together a similar cost equivalent gaming PC. The price you see on screen doesn't even include the cost of RAM, and it's still not going to perform as well as the PS5 Pro. Consoles and PCs are different experiences, yes. But when we strictly look at price to performance, the PS5 Pro is better value than a gaming PC. PlayStation 6 might be something else you're considering. I know I am. Should you buy a PS5 now or wait for PS6? We've only heard of rumors at the moment, but they point to a potential fall 2027 release date, so still at least over a year out at the time I'm recording this video. And still, lots of things could change this release date. RAM prices are still going haywire, and depending on what Microsoft does with their next Xbox, Sony might decide to revise its plans. Even though I think the PS5 Pro is a better value than a gaming PC, my advice is that if you're shopping between just a PS5 and a PS5 Pro, go for the PS5. For $600, a digital PS5 Slim offers a wonderful lineup of first and third party games, and compared to the alternatives out there, I think it's a better pickup than a Series X, and still cheaper than a PC equivalent. As for the PS5 Pro, guys, I love that console, and I have zero regrets buying it for $700 back in 2024. But with a PS6 potentially a year and a half away, I think it makes a lot of sense for most of you to hold off and wait for that. I hope this video helped you with your decision making, and if you have any other questions or angry remarks, leave them in the comments. Just be nice to each other, okay? Leave a like and subscribe if you hate price hikes, and as always, I'm Phil Rodrigues, this is Tom's Guide, and I will see you in the next video. With the PS5 Pro, there's our end credit scene.