“We got the Trump gamer tax before GTA 6”: Gamers lash out over PS5 price increase

Frustrated video game fans are calling a recent price increase on the PlayStation 5 the “Trump gamer tax,” referencing his sweeping tariffs. On Wednesday, Sony announced that the price tag on their newest console is jumping by $50.

And you thought the gaming industry couldn’t get worse

If you’re just hearing about this price hike, it’s already too late to run out and buy a PS5. The increase from $499.99 for the standard and $699.99 for the PlayStation 5 Pro to $549.99 and $749.99, respectively, went into effect on Thursday. Sony blamed the economy.

“Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,” the company wrote in a blog post. “As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21.”

Many gamers, especially critics of President Donald Trump, took this to mean that his tariffs are the source of this terrible news. Economists have long predicted the costs of electronics like video game hardware would jump due to the 30 percent tariff on China and the 15 percent one on Japan.

According to Kotaku, Sony is the last of the big three to increase console prices this year. The Xbox Series X increased by $100 in May, and the original Nintendo Switch went up by $50 on August 3.

“We got the Trump gamer tax before GTA 6”

As gamers threaten to rage quit society, Democrats are jumping on the news to attack Trump. The official party X account, @TheDemocrats, pinged the GTA 6 meme the day of the announcement.

“We got the Trump gamer tax before GTA 6,” they wrote.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, meanwhile, took a cue from California Governor Gavin Newsom and wrote out a Trump-style tweet on the subject.

“GREAT WORK, DONALD TRUMP, RAISING PRICES FOR ALL AMERICANS AND MAKING GOODS AND SERVICES MORE EXPENSIVE!” he said. “IF NOT FOR YOUR NEGOTIATING SKILLS AND MANY BANKRUPTCIES, HOW WOULD WE ALL MANAGE?! THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK INCREASING THE COST OF LIVING SIR!”

Texas-based Democratic candidate Isaiah Martin did the same.

“IT APPEARS THAT DONALD J. ‘TINY HANDS’ HAS SLAPPED ON A NEW TAX (THE GAMER TAX) ON PS5’S AND OTHER GAMES!” he wrote. “I SWEAR, WE ARE GOVERNED BY IDIOTS! COULD YOU IMAGINE IF THAT ARBY’S CONNOISSEUR (NASTY) FOCUSED ON MAKING YOUR LIFE BETTER INSTEAD?”

“Voting for Trump to remove women and minorities from video games, only for him to make consoles more expensive,” @anitamaxwynn06 wrote alongside the “it’s so peak” gif.

“Trump is continuing to punish and oppress the most oppressed group in the history of the world,” said @ecampo12. “Gamers.”