PS5 Pro vs PS5
The PS5 Pro adds stronger ray tracing, PSSR upscaling, Wi-Fi 7 and 2TB of storage, but only in games that support it. It has no disc drive, and in October 2026 it was hard to find at list price.
Disclosure: PickedTech is reader-supported. Some links on this page are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. This never affects which products we recommend or how we rank them. How we make money.
How this page was made: this is a research-based guide built from manufacturer spec pages, official prices and published lab measurements from the outlets we name and link. We haven’t tested these products ourselves, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
Choose Sony PlayStation 5 Pro ($899.99) if you have a large 4K TV and care about ray tracing, you mostly play PS5 Pro Enhanced games or you can find one at list price. Choose Sony PlayStation 5 ($649.99) if you want the best value, you play discs or buy used games or you don’t need ray tracing or PSSR.
Last updated Prices checked Oct 2026
Check Sony PlayStation 5 Pro price (opens in a new tab)Check Sony PlayStation 5 price (opens in a new tab)
Key facts at a glance
| Sony PlayStation 5 Pro | Sony PlayStation 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| List price | $899.99 | $649.99 (Digital $599.99) |
| Disc drive | No (add-on $79.99) | Yes (Digital Edition: no) |
| Storage | 2TB | 1TB (Slim); 825GB (original) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Upscaling | PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) | — |
Get the PS5 ($649.99) if you want the best value. Every PS5 game runs on it, and it has a disc drive. Get the PS5 Pro ($899.99 list) only if you have a high-end TV and play games labeled PS5 Pro Enhanced. PCMag[2] says only those titles benefit. Check stock first: Tom’s Guide[3] found the Pro sold out at major US retailers in October 2026.
Sony PlayStation 5 Pro vs Sony PlayStation 5: side-by-side
| PS5 Pro | PS5 | |
|---|---|---|
| List price | $899.99 | $649.99 (Digital $599.99) |
| Disc drive | No (add-on $79.99) | Yes (Digital Edition: no) |
| Storage | 2TB | 1TB (Slim); 825GB (original) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Upscaling | PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) | — |
| Ray tracing | Stronger (PCMag) | Standard |
| Game support | All PS5 games; 50+ PS5 Pro Enhanced titles see gains (PCMag) | All PS5 games |
| Availability, October 2026 | Sold out at major US retailers (Tom’s Guide) | Widely available |
How much do they cost?
Sony PlayStation 5 Pro plans
| Option | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 Pro (2TB, digital) | $899.99 | No disc drive; Sony Disc Drive is $79.99 extra (PCMag) |
| Resale and open-box | About $1,200 and up | PCMag and Tom’s Guide, October 2026 |
Sony PlayStation 5 plans
| Option | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 (with disc drive) | $649.99 | — |
| PS5 Digital Edition | $599.99 | No disc drive |
What are the pros and cons?
Sony PlayStation 5 Pro: pros
- Better ray tracing in supported games
- PSSR upscaling for sharper images
- Wi-Fi 7 and 2TB of storage
Sony PlayStation 5 Pro: cons
- $899.99 list, and often more in October 2026
- No disc drive included
- Only Enhanced games benefit
Sony PlayStation 5: pros
- $250 cheaper at list price
- Disc drive included
- Plays every PS5 game
Sony PlayStation 5: cons
- Weaker ray tracing
- No PSSR
- Less storage (1TB)
Which should you choose: Sony PlayStation 5 Pro or Sony PlayStation 5?
PCMag[2] gives the standard PS5 the win on price and the optical drive, and the Pro the win on ray tracing, upscaling, Wi-Fi and storage. It calls overall performance a tie, because the Pro only pulls ahead in Enhanced games. For most people, the PS5 is the smarter buy. That’s even more true while the Pro sells for $1,200 or more.
Choose Sony PlayStation 5 Pro if…
- You have a large 4K TV and care about ray tracing
- You mostly play PS5 Pro Enhanced games
- You can find one at list price
Choose Sony PlayStation 5 if…
- You want the best value
- You play discs or buy used games
- You don’t need ray tracing or PSSR
Price and availability
Sony raised prices in the US from April 2, 2026: the PS5 is $649.99, the Digital Edition $599.99 and the PS5 Pro $899.99, according to the PlayStation Blog. PCMag[2] says the Pro was only available through resellers at $1,200 to $1,700 when it updated its comparison in October. Tom’s Guide[3] found it sold out at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop and PlayStation Direct, with GameStop pre-owned units around $1,400 and a Walmart open-box unit at $1,399. Because the Pro has no disc drive, PCMag notes that adding Sony’s $79.99 Disc Drive brings it to just shy of $980.
Performance: only some games benefit
The Pro’s gains are limited to more than 50 PS5 Pro Enhanced games, PCMag[2] says. In those, it delivers better ray tracing (PCMag cites Alan Wake II and Doom: The Dark Ages) and PSSR, Sony’s upscaling, for sharper images at higher frame rates. In other games, the two consoles perform about the same, so PCMag calls performance a tie.
Storage, Wi-Fi and the disc drive
The Pro has 2TB of storage, compared with 1TB on the PS5 Slim and 825GB on the original PS5, and Wi-Fi 7 instead of Wi-Fi 6. The standard PS5 includes a disc drive. The Pro doesn’t, so you need the $79.99 add-on to play discs.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PS5 Pro worth it over the PS5?
Does the PS5 Pro have a disc drive?
Why is the PS5 Pro so hard to find?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
- PlayStation Blog: New price changes for PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal (March 27, 2026) (blog.playstation.com)
- PCMag: PlayStation 5 vs. PlayStation 5 Pro (updated October 22, 2026) (au.pcmag.com)
- Tom’s Guide: PS5 Pro restock updates (October 2026) (tomsguide.com)
Related
The Best Gaming Consoles in 2026
Every major console got more expensive in 2026. Wirecutter’s picks are the PlayStation 5 (now $649.99), the Xbox Series X ($799.99) and, if you want to play on the go, the Nintendo Switch 2 ($499.99). The Switch Lite ($229) is the cheapest way into current games.
comparisonPS5 vs Xbox Series X
After 2026’s price increases, the disc PS5 is $150 cheaper than the Xbox Series X. Pick the PS5 for PlayStation’s first-party games and the DualSense controller, or the Xbox for Game Pass and the best backward compatibility.
comparisonPS5 vs Nintendo Switch 2
These consoles do different jobs. The $499.99 Switch 2 works on the TV and in your hands and runs Nintendo’s family-friendly exclusives. The $649.99 PS5 is a TV-only console for big-budget games and 4K Blu-ray.
comparisonXbox Series X vs Xbox Series S
The Series X targets native 4K with three times the GPU power. The Series S is smaller, digital-only and still the cheapest way into current Xbox games, but it now costs $499.99.
comparisonPS5 Pro vs Xbox Series X
Both consoles got much more expensive in 2026. The PS5 Pro is the more powerful machine, with a 16.7-teraflop GPU, PSSR upscaling and 2TB of storage, but no disc drive. The Series X costs $100 less with a disc drive and has the best backward compatibility.