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As PlayStation and other console manufactures move towards a Digital Only future, gamers are more reliant on the prices of digital games than ever before. Without a pre-owned market, gamers will be required to wait for sales on digital storefronts that may not ever come.
In response, Sony is being sued in the Netherlands over a “Sony Tax” and its alleged monopolies on digital sales of console software. Filed by non-profit organisation Stitching Massaschade & Consument on behalf of 1.7 million Dutch PlayStation users, Sony has been accused of “assuming its dominant position in the console market” over the past 10 years.
Sony sued for PlayStation Store prices in the Netherlands
In a press release shared with Eurogamer, the lawsuit claims that the so-called “Sony Tax” charges players considerably more for digital games compared to their physical counterparts. With Sony’s push towards digital-only consoles, these increased store prices could be considered a monopoly on the market, especially as PlayStation is the current console market leader.
“Many people have noticed they’re increasingly being pushed towards ‘digital-only’ consoles since the arrival of the latest PS5 generation,” said Stichting Massaschade & Consument chair Lucia Melcherts.
“These consoles work exclusively with digital games rather than physical discs,” they continued. “Yet economic research shows that consumers pay on average 47 percent more for a digital version of a game compared to an identical physical copy – even though Sony’s distribution costs are significantly lower.”
The lawsuit took aim at the increasing prices of games as well as the price hikes of console hardware and PlayStation Plus since the launch of the PS5 in 2020. With PlayStation admitting to planning more PS Plus “price adjustments” to optimise profit, the market appears even more exploitative.
“The fact that Sony dares to raise prices by double digits without offering anything meaningful in return speaks volumes,” Melcherts explained. “Sony is the sole provider of digital content on the world’s most popular gaming console. With more than 80 percent of Dutch console owners using a PlayStation, Sony is free to make decisions with little regard for competitors, developers, or consumers.”
The lawsuit claims that the “imbalance” of PlayStation’s digital marketplace means that consumers in the Netherlands are owed up to €435 million in damages. These legal moves are part of the ongoing Fair PlayStation campaign which attracted 20,000 Netherlands gamers in just a single week back in February 2025.
As Xbox reportedly shifts to an open marketplace for its next generation, PlayStation and Nintendo are seemingly the last bastions of the traditional console format. While the value of Nintendo first-party software typically stays high for both physical and digital releases, first-party PlayStation games typically drop in value quickly for their physical releases while digital prices stay high.
The first hearing for this new PlayStation Store lawsuit is set to take place later this year.
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