GameStop Is Scalping Players, Charging Up to $1,500 for Used PS5 Pros Amid GTA 6 Launch Gold Rush
If you can't beat em, join em
GameStop appears to have decided that if scalpers can charge absurd money for a PS5 Pro, they might as well join them.
The retailer has updated its US listing for a pre-owned PS5 Pro to $1,399.99, roughly $500 more than Sony’s official $899.99 price for a brand-new console. A used PS5 Pro with a disc drive is being pushed even higher, at around $1,499.99.
An internal GameStop memo shared on Reddit warned employees that pre-owned PS5 Pros would cost more than new systems and reportedly stressed that “this is intentional.” The memo itself hasn’t been formally acknowledged by GameStop, but the $1,399.99 pricing was subsequently reflected on the retailer’s own website, meaning it was probably genuine or is close to the truth.
The obvious reason is because of Grand Theft Auto 6, which launches November 19. Rockstar currently lists PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as launch platforms, while its official site advertises that GTA 6 “plays best on PlayStation 5.”
With new PS5 Pro stock drying up across the US, GameStop is effectively pricing its used hardware against the secondary market rather than Sony’s MSRP. That doesn’t make the number feel any less ridiculous.
Reddit and other communities have reacted about as calmly as you would expect.
Others were less shocked, arguing that GameStop is simply responding to supply and demand while new units remain unavailable. One user summed up the situation as “you can’t buy a new one, so “the used ones go for a premium.” Which makes sense but doesn’t make the situation feel any better for the average consumer. GTA 6’s launch has been plagued with criticisms of anti-consumer practices, and now this effect is spreading over to adjacent markets.
A console that launched at $699.99 in 2024 now officially costs $899.99 new, and GameStop wants another $500 on top of that for one somebody else has already used.
GTA 6 may be one of the biggest launches gaming has ever seen, but paying nearly $1,400 just to be ready for it is bordering on parody. Who knows how long before the Xbox Series X|S also suffer the same fate. These markups will either cause people to aggressively purchase the consoles before another markup hits, or wait out the storm and suffer from the FOMO effect. Either way, it’s a lose-lose for consumers.
