PlayStation users are unconvinced that “market conditions” are the main reasons behind a price hike just before the long-anticipated release of GTA 6.

Sony has announced another price increase for its services. This time, the company is raising the prices of the PlayStation Plus subscription.

PlayStation Plus is a monthly subscription service for PS4 and PS5 consoles that provides online multiplayer and downloadable games.

Starting May 20th, a monthly PlayStation Plus subscription will cost $11 (€10 and £8), while a three-month subscription will cost $28 (€28 and £22).

The new monthly subscription price has increased by $1, while the three-month subscription is now $3 pricier.

Sony notes that the price changes won’t affect the existing customers, except those based in Turkey and India. However, the new subscription prices will be applied if an “existing subscription changes or lapses.”

The company states that the price changes occurred due to “ongoing market conditions,” referring to the surge in microchip demand driven by the AI boom.

It isn’t the first time that Sony has increased the pricing of its products for this reason.

In March of 2026, the company announced that, starting in April, it would change the prices of its gaming consoles, including the PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player.

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After the price increase, the gaming consoles introduced in 2020 now cost $100 more.

At that time, the company said the price hike was necessary due to “continued pressures in the global economic landscape,” so Sony could continue providing users with high-quality gaming.

However, despite the global issues such as RAM shortages, tariffs, and the war, customers still weren’t convinced that such a price hike was necessary.

Price increased ahead of GTA 6 release

The PlayStation Plus subscription price change takes effect 6 months before the planned release of one of the most anticipated games ever, Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), according to IGN.

To play GTA 6 online, players need to have an active PlayStation Plus subscription.

This could be why the company decided to increase subscription pricing, thinking that the new game issue would attract more subscribers.

The release date for GTA 6 has been set, with players waiting for the November 2026 launch.

However, the same can’t be said about the launch of the company’s new gaming console, PlayStation 6. Sony shared that it’s not clear when the new device will be released or how much it will cost, due to the ongoing memory shortage.

Rising gaming prices and customer distrust

After Sony announced the subscription price increase, users in the comments section began debating.

“Blaming market conditions is insane. It should be free to play online games without paywalls in 2026,” wrote one user.

“Due to economic conditions for consumers, we will unsubscribe,” said another user.

Many netizens questioned the company’s rationale for the price hike.

“How the fuck does an online service go up due to ‘ongoing market conditions,’” asked one X user, “What exactly does that mean? There’s a short supply of subscriptions to give out?”

“Games up. consoles up. accessories up. now subs up…again. At some point, ‘market conditions’ just becomes the industry version of ‘because we can,’” noted another user.

Recently, the company was involved in a $7.85 million class action lawsuit.

Some of Sony's customers will be eligible for a payout after the company was accused of “unlawfully eliminating competition and monopolizing the market for Sony digital games, causing consumers to pay more for certain digital games than they otherwise would have paid on the PlayStation Store,” reports PR Newswire.

However, Sony isn’t the only company raising the prices of its products and services.

Last week, Nintendo’s president announced that the company will increase the price of its existing gaming console, also warning that it won’t be the only price change in the future.

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