How much does it cost to run a games console (PlayStation 5-class)? (2026 price cap)
At the GB-average Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a games console (PlayStation 5-class) rated at 200W costs 5.3p an hour to run and around £38.43 a year assuming 2 hours of active play a day.
Per hour
5.3p
Per typical use
11p
Per day
11p
Per week
74p
Per year
£38.43
Typical rating and how we worked this out
This page uses a typical rating of 200W for a games console (PlayStation 5-class); published figures for this appliance range from 90W to 220W. A modern console draws far more power actively rendering a game than sitting on its home menu or in rest mode — most of a typical evening's running cost comes from the active gameplay hours, not idle time. The running cost follows the same formula used across this site: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × unit rate. Typical use is modelled as 2 hours of active play a day, which is how the per-day, per-week and per-year figures above were calculated — see the cost-to-run calculator to change the wattage, hours or region yourself.
Rate used: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, GB average electricity — 26.32p/kWh (excl. VAT, removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027).
Cost by region
Same appliance, same use — ranked most to least expensive by region under the price cap:
| Region | Elec p/kWh | Cost per hour | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86 | 5.6p | £40.68 |
| South Eastern England | 26.88 | 5.4p | £39.24 |
| Eastern England | 26.61 | 5.3p | £38.85 |
| London | 26.60 | 5.3p | £38.84 |
| South Western England | 26.58 | 5.3p | £38.81 |
| Southern Wales | 26.55 | 5.3p | £38.76 |
| North Western England | 26.49 | 5.3p | £38.68 |
| Southern England | 26.47 | 5.3p | £38.65 |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35 | 5.3p | £38.47 |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11 | 5.2p | £38.12 |
| West Midlands | 25.60 | 5.1p | £37.38 |
| Yorkshire | 25.60 | 5.1p | £37.38 |
| North Eastern England | 25.46 | 5.1p | £37.17 |
| East Midlands | 25.36 | 5.1p | £37.03 |
| Great Britain average | 26.32 | 5.3p | £38.43 |
East Midlands is cheapest at £37.03 a year; Merseyside and Northern Wales is most expensive at £40.68 a year — a gap of £3.65 for identical use.
How a games console (PlayStation 5-class) compares with similar appliances
Ranked by typical annual cost in entertainment & office, GB average:
- games console (PlayStation 5-class) — £38.43 a year (this page)
- 55-inch LED TV — £36.03 a year
- games console (Xbox Series X-class) — £34.58 a year
- 43-inch LED TV — £28.82 a year
- 55-inch OLED TV — £52.84 a year
- laptop — £19.21 a year
Three practical ways to cut the cost
- Enable the lowest-power rest mode in settings rather than leaving the console fully on when not playing
- Turn the console off rather than leaving it on a game's pause screen for long periods
- Download games and updates during active use rather than an always-on wake-for-downloads mode you don't need
FAQs
- How much does it cost to run a games console (PlayStation 5-class) for an hour?
- 5.3p at the GB-average rate (26.32p/kWh, 200W). One typical use — 2 hours of active play a day — costs closer to 11p.
- How much does a games console (PlayStation 5-class) cost to run per year?
- Around £38.43 a year at the GB-average rate, assuming 2 hours of active play a day — about 74p a week.
- Which UK region is cheapest to run a games console (PlayStation 5-class) in?
- East Midlands, at £37.03 a year, against £40.68 in Merseyside and Northern Wales — £3.65 apart for identical use, purely from the regional rate.
- Does the exact wattage of my games console (PlayStation 5-class) change the cost much?
- Yes — ratings range 90W–220W, so the top of that range costs about 2.4x the bottom. This page uses 200W; check your own rating plate.
- Does the October 2026 price cap affect this figure?
- Yes — figures use the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Electricity excludes VAT (removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027); gas includes 5%. See the price cap page for the full breakdown.
Sources
- Heatable — how much energy do household appliances use — wattage and usage figures for this appliance.
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (regional tables, read 12 September 2026).
Related
- Cost-to-run calculator and full A–Z — check any appliance or enter a custom wattage.
- Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 — every region, every payment method.
- Back-billing calculator — if a bill for this or any appliance looks like it covers too many months.
- Free bill audit — if your overall energy costs look high regardless of any one appliance.
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