Sony announced the PS5 Digital Edition Midnight Black on the Japanese PlayStation Blog, a version of the console with a black finish. The model arrives on November 19, the same day GTA 6 launches, but for now it is exclusive to Japan and only works with Japanese accounts. Until now, anyone elsewhere who wanted a black PS5 had to buy the Midnight Black covers sold separately.

What was announced

The console's official name is PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Midnight Black (model CFI-2200B02S), and it costs 55,000 yen including tax. Alongside it, Sony is releasing a standalone disc drive in the same color for 11,980 yen (model CFI-ZDD1J01), for anyone who wants to play games and movies on physical media. Pre-orders open on October 20 at Japanese retailers, in stages, and both products hit shelves on November 19.

Inside, it is the same current PS5 Digital Edition: an 825 GB SSD, an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU, a 10-teraflop GPU, and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. The box includes a black DualSense controller and Astro's Playroom preinstalled. The vertical stand is sold separately.

Why only Japan

The Midnight Black follows the same approach as the "Japanese language only" PS5 Digital Edition released in November 2025 at the same 55,000 yen price. That model only supports Japanese as the system language and only works with PlayStation Network accounts registered in Japan. Sony created this cheaper version for local players after noticing that, because of exchange rate swings, consoles bought in Japan were being shipped to other countries. In an interview with Famitsu, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Hideaki Nishino said the company considered it essential to make sure the PS5 reached Japanese players.

According to VGC, Sony has not said whether the color will be sold outside Japan. For now, players in other countries can still choose the Midnight Black covers for the current PS5, sold separately.

The date is no coincidence

The announcement lists GTA 6 among the big releases of the holiday season, and the new console arrives on exactly the same day as Rockstar's game, which launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Sony also announced that anyone who buys an eligible PS5 in Japan by March 31, 2027 can extend the manufacturer's warranty from one to two years by registering.

The official page also repeats a notice Sony first gave in July: starting in January 2028, new PlayStation games will be sold only in digital form. Discs released before then will keep working, which explains why a standalone drive is offered.

What we still don't know

  • Whether the PS5 Midnight Black will be sold in the Americas, Europe, or other markets.
  • Whether there will be a black PS5 Pro or a black PS5 with a built-in disc drive.

To understand where the console market stands, read our story on US console sales hitting their worst point in decades.