Sony is facing new legal trouble after a group of PlayStation owners filed a class action lawsuit accusing the company of holding onto money tied to tariff-related PS5 price increases. The lawsuit arrived just hours after Sony confirmed another round of price hikes for its PlayStation Plus subscription service, adding even more pressure to an already frustrated customer base.
The case, Walker et al v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, was filed May 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. According to IGN, plaintiffs Amorey Walker and Bryce Foster-Quarles argue that consumers who purchased PS5 consoles after Sony’s 2025 price increases should receive compensation now that the tariffs cited by the company have been overturned.
Sony originally raised the prices of the PS5 lineup in August 2025, increasing the cost of the standard console, Digital Edition, and PS5 Pro by $50 each. At the time, the company pointed to a “challenging economic environment,” including the impact of tariffs. Those tariffs were later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2026.
According to the lawsuit, Sony allegedly benefited from what plaintiffs described as a “substantial windfall” after the tariff policy was invalidated. The filing claims the company effectively received a “double recovery windfall” by continuing to collect higher console prices despite the legal reversal of the trade measures that had initially been blamed for the price increases.
The lawsuit lands during a broader period of rising costs across Sony’s gaming business. Earlier this year, Sony again increased the price of the PS5, pushing the standard disc edition to $649.99 in the U.S., while the PS5 Pro climbed to $899.99 after a $150 jump. The company cited “continued pressures in the global economic landscape,” including inflation and soaring memory chip prices tied to AI demand.
Sony also announced that it would raise the price of its PlayStation Plus subscription service in multiple regions. Monthly PlayStation Plus Essential plans in the U.S. are set to rise from $9.99 to $10.99 beginning May 20, with the company again pointing to market conditions.
