Five months into the PS5 lifecycle and the console remains just as tricky to get hold of as it was at launch. Supply hasn’t even come close to matching the overwhelming demand for the machine.
While many gamers who missed out on pre-ordering the console may have assumed with time the restock issues plaguing Sony’s next-gen machine would dissipate, unfortunately, according to a number of retailers it seems that stock is actually expected to get less frequent in the coming weeks.
Multiple retailers have begun putting up messages to customers warning them not to expect any PS5 restocks in April. @PS5StockAlertUK, one of the UK’s biggest stock tracking accounts, spotted that Smyths Toys has updated its PS5 listing page with a message claiming that the PS5 won’t be in stock until May 2021.
News: Smyths Toys have changed their stock expectancy date to May 2021, as we predicted.https://t.co/zZRMrYRDNrIn the meantime, consider joining the biggest PS5 Discord server in the UK, don’t miss out.https://t.co/lW1blbCPj6#PS5 #PS5Restock #PS5Stock pic.twitter.com/1mkwoLhdSIApril 14, 2021
The situation gets even bleaker when you look at Game. The U.K.’s biggest gaming retailer is warning customers that it doesn’t expect to have any more PS5 bundles until May 27, so restocks in May might not be until the final few days of the month.
This lengthy stock draught is almost certainly due to Sony’s inability to manufacture the console quick enough, thanks to the current global storage of computing chips. If anything this chip crisis is predicted to get worse, so the PS5 stock situation isn’t expected to get better for potentially the rest of the year.
Another six or so weeks before another PS5 restock would come as a particular kick in the teeth as over in the U.S. gamers are enjoying something of a resurgence of stock, with multiple retailers including GameStop and Sony Direct restocking the console just this week. However, stock doesn’t seem to be trickling through to UK retailers.
Reasons to be optimistic about PS5 restock
While the current PS5 stock forecast looks on the surface to be rather bleak, looking at the situation glass half full we can predict that we might see stock before late May.
Firstly, previous warnings of a lengthy stock delay from both Smyths Toys and Game have proved to be unfounded, and both retailers have restocked earlier than expected in the past. No stock till May could be a worst-case scenario that doesn’t actually come to pass.
Furthermore, Amazon EU sites have dropped stock for both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X in recent days, typically when a European branch of Amazon has restocked the U.K. isn’t far behind. Specialty retailers like Smyths Toys and Game could be sitting out the next month or so because retailing behemoths like Amazon are being prioritised.
Of course, whatever happens stock-wise in the coming weeks if you keep tabs on our where to buy a PS5 guide you’ll be in the know. In this central hub we collect all the latest stock information as we get it, so make sure to bookmark it.
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