Don't expect a refund for your price-hiked PS5 any time soon, despite Sony receiving a massive refund from the US government in response to previously implemented tariffs which have now been ruled illegal.
Months after the United States Supreme Court ruled President Trump's sweeping global tariffs to be illegal, Sony has reported ¥80 billion ($508 million) in refunds from the federal government. PlayStation raised PS5 prices in response to US tariffs last year, but parent company Sony has provided no indication it plans to refund people who purchased consoles at those increased prices.
This comes from Game File's Stephen Totilo, reporting comments from Sony's chief financial officer, Lin Tao, who said last week during a Q&A with press and investors that "most" of the company's received tariff refunds are going to PlayStation, suggesting the gaming division bore the brunt of tariff-related increased costs.
According to Totilo, unnamed Sony executives confirmed that 70% of the tariff refund (about $356 million) was collected in the period between April and June 2026. That leaves an estimated $152 million still to be received by Sony from the US government.
Of course, in a truly just world, consumers who'd already purchased consoles at hiked prices due to tariffs would receive some of the money recouped by the console manufacturer in the tariff reversal and refund, but while lawsuits are ongoing, Sony has revealed no such plan. In response to a similar lawsuit against Nintendo, the Switch 2 maker rejected any responsibility to those who bought consoles at tariff-inflated prices. "Those who bought Nintendo's products received exactly what they bargained and paid for: a console, game and/or accessory at a price to which both parties agreed," the company's lawyers said.
Sony reportedly plans to respond to a consolidated class action lawsuit from a group of PlayStation users next month.
