Wednesday saw two PS5 restocks. The first was at Target early in the morning and then GameStop followed suit in the afternoon. Both sold out within minutes, as expected. Walmart could be coming next on Thursday, and we’re still waiting for a restock at PlayStation Direct.
These PS5 restocks can happen at almost any time, as evidenced by the latest PS5 restock at Amazon. The online retail giant quietly added more consoles early on Saturday morning. Despite the antisocial timing from a US perspective, the PS5 quickly sold out. Gamefly also had a restock Monday, but it was only available for those who had subscriptions for longer than 30 days. The company sold out, but says it will have more PS5 drops in May, so this could be a potential place to buy a PS5 for those who sign up now.
The store with the most frequent PS5 restocks is still Sony’s PlayStation Direct site, where drops often take place in the afternoon and require people to queue up for a chance to buy a console. If you don’t get one at the time, it helps to still join the queue, as some patient and lucky customers may receive a priority access email directly from Sony. The company hasn’t provided all the details about these PS Direct emails, but a PS Plus subscription does appear to be required — and you must be logged in to your PSN account. If luck is on your side, then there’s a chance Sony will send you an invite to buy a PS5.
This big machine is the hot item in 2021.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
While major retailers like Walmart, GameStop, Amazon, Target and Best Buy don’t usually give much notice ahead of a restock, your best chance of scoring a PS5 is to log on right when inventory drops. Even then, nothing is guaranteed, but there are ways to improve your chances.
First tip: Don’t wait until you see an alert for a PS5 inventory drop. Check the links at major retailers for stock updates daily or even multiple times a day. (We’ve got them all lined up below.) If you do happen upon some PS5 availability, go all-in with as many browsers and devices as possible. On a desktop, for example, open the retailer’s page in Chrome, Firefox and Edge. Then do the same on your phone and tablet. The more devices and browsers, the better. It’s like with lottery tickets: The more you have, the better your chances of winning.
Second tip: Create accounts at the different retailers and make sure you’re already logged in if you’re going to try to get a PS5. Make sure all your shipping, bill and payment info is updated on whatever device you can buy from, whether it’s a laptop, desktop or phone. This makes checking out a lot faster, which is crucial as retailers’ sites get quickly bogged down, leading to people losing their chance of securing a PS5.
If you’re starting to crack and considering buying a PS5 right now (and we know that with the number of big PS5 games about to drop over the next few months, the pressure is on), you can do so, but at the cost of a hefty markup on sites like eBay and StockX. On eBay, for example, we’ve seen PS5 units priced well over $1,000. We think it’s worth it to wait it out and get the new console at sticker price.
The PS5 is available in two versions: There’s a $500 model with a Blu-ray drive and an otherwise identical $400 digital-only version with no disc slot. At this point, people are happy to get their hands on either one, but if you don’t have a library of optical discs — for Blu-ray movies, used games or old PS4 games — CNET recommends that you go with the $400 version.
Remember to check back here for news and updates on new PS5 availability. You can also browse all the major retailers to see their restock status. The list below has links to the PS5 product pages at each store.
PS5 restock possibilities
Target offers the PS5 with Blu-ray for $500 in addition to the PS5 Digital Edition, which you can find by clicking the button below.
You can check out Amazon’s page for the $400 Digital Edition via the button below, or, if you’d rather, get in line for the PS5 with Blu-ray for $500.
Best Buy is offering the PS5 with Blu-ray for $500 as well as the $400 Digital Edition (which you can find by clicking the button below). The retailer is also offering a slew of accessories on its PS5 landing page.
You can check inventory on the $400 Digital Edition at Walmart by clicking the button below, or you can try to snag the pricier PS5 with Blu-ray for $500.
Newegg’s PS5 page has multiple bundles that include additional controllers and games along with the console. You can see the different options by clicking on the button below.
If you’ve decided you simply can’t wait another moment for Sony to get its act together and flood the market with inventory, eBay is a shortcut to getting your own PS5 right now. That said, let me reiterate our advice: No PS5 is worth spending hundreds over list price, and that’s exactly what you’ll have to do if you buy from an eBay reseller. The average PS5 price on eBay is about $800.
OK, you’ve exhausted all of the online and brick-and-mortar retailers, and you’ve decided you’re willing to pay upward of a $300 markup to get this puppy soon. As your friends, we have to tell you: Don’t do it. But if you don’t want to listen to us, you might want to check out StockX, an eBay alternative that made its name in the secondary market for sneakers and designer clothing. Last time we checked, prices for the PS5 were hovering just below $700.
More PS5 coverage
Watch this:
PS5 review: full breakdown of all the new features
17:44
This story is regularly updated with the latest PS5 stock news.
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