Sony is asking PS4 owners directly to please upgrade to the PS5

Although it may be hard to believe, the PlayStation 5 (PS5) is now five years old. And while Sony has built up an impressive lineup of exclusive games for it, plenty of people are still happily gaming on the PS4 — and honestly, who can blame them?

Despite its age, PS4 games still hold up remarkably well, like The Last of Us Part 2 and Spider-Man, and some new titles continue to launch on both the PS4 and PS5.

That said, five years into the console’s lifecycle, Sony appears ready to start nudging more PS4 owners who haven’t abandoned it yet to consider upgrading. In a new message that Sony is sending directly to PS4 consoles, the company is now trying to convince players that now is the “perfect time” to move to the PS5 (via PushSquare).

The message, which has been posted on X, reads:

“Whether you’re catching up with hits from 2025 like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, ARC Raiders, and Ghost of Yotei or getting ready for the most-anticipated games of 2026 including SAROS, 007 First Light, Nioh 3, and so much more, now’s the perfect time to upgrade to a PS5 console.”

Is now really the time to upgrade to a PS5?

The PS6 could still be years away

In its message to PS4 owners, Sony includes a QR code that, when scanned, takes you to PlayStation’s website to check out the latest PS5 games and deals. And to be fair, the PS5 does offer a lot of value in terms of performance and its game’s library — though it’s hard not to feel like the perfect time to upgrade might have actually been last year.

Here’s why I say that: back in August, Sony raised the price of all PS5 models in the US by $50, making the console more expensive than ever. At the time, the company attributed the increase to “a challenging economic environment,” without directly blaming tariffs. So, for the first time in a console generation that I can remember, the price of a console is higher five years later than it was at launch. Which I still find wild to think about.

On the flip side, there’s also a case to be made that now is the perfect time to upgrade from a PS4 to a PS5, before prices potentially climb even higher due to the ongoing RAM shortage, which is causing RAM costs to skyrocket and has already significantly impacted the PC market.

Additionally, due to the steep cost of RAM, there are reports that Sony is considering delaying the launch of the PS6 until 2029, or even 2030, making the PS5’s life cycle longer than many people initially expected.

So if you’re still gaming on PS4, with the PS5 having gone up in price, it might not feel like the perfect time to upgrade to the PS5, as Sony says it is. But in my view, it might be a good time to consider it, since the PS6 is likely still years away and the PS5’s price may worsen soon due to rising RAM costs.