Sony is reportedly preparing to downgrade the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition storage capacity in Europe, reducing internal storage from one TB to 825GB while maintaining the same €499 price point. The change is expected to roll out on September 13, according to reliable retail leaker Billbil-Kun from Dealabs.
The storage reduction exclusively affects the disc-less Digital Edition model in European markets. The standard PS5 with disc drive will continue shipping with one TB of storage. There’s currently no indication this change will extend to North America or other regions.
This marks a return to the original PS5’s storage capacity. Launch models from 2020 came with 825GB SSDs, providing roughly 667GB of usable space after system software. The newer “slim” models introduced in 2023 bumped storage up to one TB, offering around 800–850GB for games and apps.
The timing seems particularly harsh given the Digital Edition’s price history in Europe. The console launched at €399 in 2020 before Sony raised prices to €449 in August 2022, citing economic pressures. Another increase pushed it to the current €499. Now European buyers will pay 25% more than the launch price for the same storage capacity they got four years ago.
For Digital Edition owners, every gigabyte counts. Unlike the disc version, these consoles rely entirely on internal storage and downloads. Modern games regularly consume 100GB or more, with titles like Call of Duty pushing past 200GB. The base 825GB drive might hold just six–eight major releases after accounting for system files.
Storage wars strike back
Sony hasn’t officially confirmed the change, and the report doesn’t explain why they’re reverting to smaller SSDs. Cost-cutting seems the obvious answer, especially with flash memory prices fluctuating and console hardware traditionally sold at slim margins.
Players can still expand storage using the M.2 SSD slot, which accepts standard PCIe Gen4 drives up to eight TB. But with one TB expansion drives starting around €70–100, the total cost of matching the current model’s storage pushes the Digital Edition uncomfortably close to disc version pricing. The value proposition that once made the Digital Edition attractive continues to erode.
