The new year is here, but for hopeful PS5 buyers, the restock plan for Sony’s next-gen console isn’t any clearer. The PS5 continues to be extremely difficult to find in stock at major retailers, and unless you’re wanting to shell out hundreds above MSRP on sites like Ebay, there’s not much you can do right now except wait. Over the last week or so, we’ve seen PS5 restocks at a few stores online, including Best Buy, GameStop, and Antonline. That said, Sony has been quiet on the subject, so we don’t know when major restocks will happen. The PS5 is currently sold out at every major retailer, but online restocks continue to happen sporadically and without notice. Stock always sells out quickly, and bots snagging the systems for resellers hasn’t helped matters. Still, there’s a chance we’ll start to see more PS5 stock soon now that the holiday rush is officially over.
Third-party store SUP3R5 had a few hundred customized PS5 consoles modeled after the PS2’s design available for purchase on January 8. However, these orders were eventually canceled after staff said they received threats to their safety. The official Twitter account for the store has since been deleted.
We’ll be updating this guide as PS5 units go on sale–just be aware that if you want one, you’ll have to be quick and potentially open to purchasing a bundle with games and accessories that you may or may not want. If you want to buy a PS5 relatively soon, those are the sort of concessions you need to make. With any luck, you’ll find a bundle that contains mostly relevant items. You’ll want to get your hands on one to play the best PS5 games coming in 2021.
Where to buy the PS5
PS5 availability at PlayStation Direct
PlayStation Direct regularly opens up a queue for shoppers to buy the PS5 (and anything else on the first-party site), but it’s often over an hour wait and unclear if the PS5 is even available. Still, it’s worth checking PS Direct often, as it’s the only store still releasing the PS5 on a somewhat regular basis. However, the queues appear to also be somewhat random.
Note that finding a queue on PS Direct doesn’t necessarily mean the PS5 is in stock; it simply indicates high traffic to the store. It never hurts to jump in and wait if you find the queue and you’ll be at your computer for a while, but know there’s no guarantee it’ll be in stock by the time you get through.
PS5 availability at GameStop
We don’t know when you’ll be able to buy a PS5 from GameStop again. The most recent restock happened in early January, and GameStop had both the PS5 and PS5 Digital edition available in pricey bundles.
PS5 availability at Walmart
We don’t know when you’ll be able to buy a PS5 from Walmart again.
Walmart last had the PS5, along with other next-gen systems, on its website in late December. For these restocks, it provided more systems every 10 minutes for about half an hour, providing customers with numerous chances to get one. This seemed to make it slightly easier to get one of the systems. However, you will still need to prepare to be there the second a restock happens to have the best chance.
PS5 availability at Best Buy
Best Buy’s last PS5 restock was on January 7, and while the online stock is sold out, there may be limited stock available in stores. One of our own local stores had several PS5 systems ready for pickup. This was despite the online shipping stock disappearing as quickly as it typically does. We suggest checking with your local Best Buy. There’s no word on when the next online restock at Best Buy will be.
Best Buy didn’t have any stock on store shelves throughout the entire holiday season, but the retailer has stated that consoles will be available in stores in 2021. More systems are coming to Best Buy. When that will actually happen remains to be seen, but the store typically uses a queue system once they come online. This can help to deter bots, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to get one.
PS5 availability at Amazon
We don’t know when you’ll be able to buy a PS5 from Amazon again.
Even Amazon doesn’t know when the PS5 will next be in stock, as indicated on the console’s product page. In the past, Amazon has occasionally set up new listing pages to make it tougher for bots to track. It has been one of the most inconsistent retailers for the system since it launched. It remains to be seen if that will change in 2021.
PS5 availability at Target
We don’t know when you’ll be able to buy a PS5 from Target again.
Target has not been restocking much since the PS5 launched, and it’s unclear how soon it will begin taking orders again.
Where to buy PS5 accessories
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