By Ray Ampoloquio · Oct 13, 2026 A roughly $350 PS5 is region locked to Japan, so the $499.99 Xbox Series S is the cheapest console that actually plays GTA 6 elsewhere.

Zoom image: Sony's Midnight Black PS5 Digital Edition launches November 19 in Japan for about $350. The cheapest brand-new console that can play Grand Theft Auto VI on launch day is a PlayStation 5 that costs about US$350, with one important caveat being that you can only buy and use it in Japan. On October 13, Sony announced a Midnight Black version of its Japan-only PS5 Digital Edition, priced at ¥55,000 and launching November 19, the same day GTA 6 arrives.

The console is the PS5 Digital Edition Midnight Black, model CFI-2200B02S, at ¥55,000 with tax, which converts to roughly US$350. Pre-orders open October 20 at select Japanese retailers and online stores. A matching Midnight Black disc drive arrives the same day for ¥11,980, about US$75.

This is a new color for the Japanese-language Digital Edition that Sony introduced in 2025 and the hardware is the standard slim Digital Edition, an 825 GB SSD and no performance bump.

Again, before you celebrate, you can't just travel to Japan to buy this console or have someone there buy it for you. The system language is fixed to Japanese and the console only works with a PlayStation Network account set to Japan as its country, the same restriction Sony put on the cheaper Japanese-language model last year.

For most of the world, this US$350 PS5 is a very expensive centerpiece, since its fixed Japanese language and Japan-only PSN account requirement make it impractical to use outside the Land of the Rising Sun.

We're giving away full copies of GTA 6 Ultimate Edition in several draws through launch. Enter with your email, then join in once on the site. One entry per person.

Email first, then one site action during the draw window.