Sony will add a dedicated anime hub to the PS5 home screen in spring 2027, giving Crunchyroll and anime-inspired games a permanent spot on the console’s main menu. PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino announced the plan at the first Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum.
Sony Interactive Entertainment describes the hub as a space that brings together anime, anime-inspired games, and easy access to the full Crunchyroll app. The company says it is “designed to make it easier for the PlayStation community to discover and explore the anime content they enjoy.”
Crunchyroll has been on the PS5 as a standalone app since the console launched in 2020, so the change is about discovery rather than access. As Push Square puts it, the service moves to the front of the main menu instead of sitting in the app list.
What Sony and Crunchyroll have said
Variety reports that the hub is meant to align Sony’s anime projects with its anime-inspired games. In the announcement, the companies pitched it at two groups: longtime anime fans, and players who discover a series through a game, character, or world they already love.
Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini tied it to existing work with Sony. “From Crunchyroll membership on PlayStation, to the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime series,” he said, “today, we take that partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment one step further with an anime hub on PlayStation. Serving fans means meeting them where they already are.”
Nishino added that “anime fans and gamers have always shared similar interests,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, which covered the forum. The same event also saw Sony unveil a new Crunchyroll Storyworks division.
The hub follows Sony’s launch of Live TV on PS5 in August, a lineup of more than 100 free ad-supported channels, which Variety says Sony Pictures Television plans to expand globally. Together, the two moves show PlayStation turning the home screen into a wider entertainment front door.
What we don’t know yet
Sony and Crunchyroll haven’t said which regions get the hub at launch, whether it will be localised in Arabic, or what it includes beyond a “dedicated space”. They also haven’t given a specific date beyond spring 2027, and it’s unclear how the hub will choose which anime-inspired games to feature. Nothing in the announcement points to changes in subscription plans or pricing.
What it means for UAE viewers
Crunchyroll is already available in the Middle East. Arab News reports that plans start from AED 21.99 a month in the UAE. Crunchyroll’s help centre says that subscribers who pay through PlayStation are billed through their PlayStation Wallet, and that only the Mega Fan tier is currently offered there.
Whether UAE PS5 owners see the new hub on day one is unconfirmed. If you’re already a subscriber, the practical change is likely to be quicker access from the home screen, not a different catalogue. For what’s currently streaming here, see our guides to what’s new on Crunchyroll in October 2026 and the Fall 2026 lineup.
The move also lands as rival platforms push into entertainment beyond games. We covered Xbox’s new XP division, which aims to take its franchises into film, TV, and theme parks.
Is Crunchyroll already on PS5?
Yes. The Crunchyroll app has been available on PS5 since the console’s 2020 launch, and you can subscribe to the Mega Fan plan through the PlayStation Store. The new hub adds a dedicated space on the home screen.
When does the PS5 anime hub launch?
Sony says spring 2027. It hasn’t given an exact date or a regional rollout list.
Will it cost extra?
Sony and Crunchyroll haven’t announced any new fees or plans for the hub. Streaming the full Crunchyroll catalogue still needs a membership.
