Should I Buy a PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro in 2025?

Thirty years ago, Sony released the PlayStation onto the world. It has been the standard console ever since.

It certainly still is. If someone walks into a shop and asks for a traditional gaming experience, they’re walking out with a PlayStation 5. It’s just the way it is, for better or for worse. Sony have made a great show of the nostalgia associated with them over the last few months, first with Astrobot and then with a series of adverts showing kids opening their consoles on Christmas mornings. It’s a sweet campaign.

But it’s not 1999 anymore. It’s not 2005 or 2012. The Sony of today is a changed beast, and best represents the current direction of the industry as a whole. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The PlayStation 5 is the current gen default if you want to play Call of Duty and Fortnite, and if you want to play huge third person action-adventures. It’s also soon to be the default place to play if you want to get into Xbox games. So if you’re on the market for a console, this is probably where you’re going to end up. You could do a lot worse. Especially if you’re silly enough to shell out on a PS5 Pro.

The Games

This year will see sequels to Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding, both great games. How much this impacts whether you buy a PlayStation in 2025 depends on how much you want to play these titles, but also how long you’re willing to wait for them.

While the originals released with a presumption of exclusivity, this time we can’t be so sure. Both Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 will sooner or later end up on PC. The latter will probably end up on Xbox.

There will be other exclusives, and it’s hard to tell which will hit the zeitgeist and which will disappear overnight. Again, your mileage will vary.

If you’ve read this section and you’re thinking there’s nothing to worry about, and that maybe you can hold off for 2026, you may be right. Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently listed for 2025. and that’s a behemoth that won’t be available outside of current generation consoles for the time being. If you want to play it on day one – and you won’t be in bad company with that – then you’ll need to pick a console. As I say in my Xbox 2025 piece, that might as well be PlayStation.

My advice if you’re only excited by Grand Theft Auto is to hold off until a release date is confirmed. That’s a 2025 release date that could easily slip back a few months, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a major selling point in my 2026 articles.

PlayStation: Now and Then

Outside of that, the state of PlayStation going into 2025 is pretty much where it has been for a while. The OS is still more style than substance. The services aren’t as interesting and are too expensive, although they’re getting better on the former point. There’s definitely been some things worth checking out added to PlayStation Plus lately.

And while the nostalgia has been heavy during the 30th anniversary marketing, the reality is very different. Tomb Raider will come to everything. Crash Bandicoot is owned by Microsoft. The director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth said they were happy with the sales, but that they can no longer release to just a single console. The days of the biggest brands being linked with PlayStation are long gone.

But while Microsoft are trying to position their brand as a vague feeling rather than a physical device, and with Nintendo now fully entrenched in the handheld model, PlayStation feels most like the traditional console. Some fans, mostly older, will be happy with that. You buy your games full price. You stay chained to the TV. There’s not much to say about the future except that it looks set to be more of the same. Again, not necessarily a bad thing.

It’s just not terribly interesting. Especially when the games are fewer and further between, and without the excitement and variety of a PS1 or PS2.

The PlayStation 5 Pro

Add to this the PlayStation 5 Pro. This recently released console came and went with nary a touch of fanfare, making more money than the PS4 Pro in its first weeks but with fewer sales. It’s a good litmus test for what comes next – more power, less obvious improvements, much higher costs – but not an especially compelling product in and of itself. If you’ve ever agonised over playing something at upscaled 1080p at 60fps or upscaled 1440p at 30fps, here’s a device for you. One setting without worrying about how many pixels your upscaler is pulling from.

But most people don’t do that. Most people pick the performance mode, or they go with what looks best in the moment. There’s no fear of missing out when it comes to visual modes. If you really had that problem, you’d have bought a PC by now.

And while the initial verdict from experts is that the Pro does what it sets out to do (a marginally improved option for Sony super fans), chances are you already know if you want one or not. I wouldn’t recommend it, I wouldn’t buy one myself.

PlayStation in 2025 – Conclusion

If you’ve waited this long to get into the current generation of games, chances are there’s little to make you jump in now. That’s unless Grand Theft Auto 6 gets a firm release date.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will offer up a host of new features and games that will likely define the next year, while PC keeps going from strength to strength. You’ll see some big developments in January, and then likely throughout the year.

And maybe there’s not all that happening in the world of PlayStation. That probably won’t happen for another three or four years. But while all the other brands have something going on, PlayStation is strong and stable. You know what you’re getting – the ability to play almost everything, including Xbox games, without any fuss. Most people just buy a PlayStation if they want a gaming device. There’s a reason for that.

So while there’s little happening right now to recommend one, if you want something that just works buy a PlayStation. You can’t go far wrong.