Spring is in full gear. With May off to a sunny start, there’s also some fresh hope for those looking to secure a new console. PlayStation 5 restocks are slowly starting up again after a positively dreadful two months.
It’s especially good timing because the PS5 is in the midst of a software resurgence. After a few dry months with no real exclusives, Sony has given us its first true next-gen game with Returnal. Then Ratchet & Clank: Drift Apart is coming in June, so there’s certainly more incentive to grab a PS5 sooner rather than later.
Here’s everything you need to know to start your month of console hunting off right.
Popfindr, Octoshop, and other retail tools
To start, let’s talk about tracking.
By keeping tabs on sites yourself, you can get an edge over people who just try their luck. As far as recommendations go, OctoShop is an excellent Google Chrome extension that will notify you as soon as restocks become available at your retailer of choice. Download it, enter the retailers you want it to scan, and wait for a PS5 restock.
PopFindr is the way to go if you’d prefer picking one up at a local store in person. On top of those tools, there are plenty of helpful Twitter accounts that are worth following for restock news. We recommend following accounts like @PS5StockAlerts, @SpielTimes, and @Wario64 that will Tweet anytime that new consoles become available at a retailer, and you can even enable push notifications whenever one or more of these accounts tweets.
This article will also have links to every retailer’s website that you’d want to get a PS5 from, so you might want to bookmark some pages.
Target
Here’s a promising example of the restock resurgence. Target got a fresh drop on Wednesday, April 28 at 8:28 a.m. Eastern. Early mornings tend to be the sweet spot for Target in general, so check on them first thing in the morning when you can.
Target has been a consistent retailer for PS5s in 2021, but it’s starting to lag behind. That puts it in the perfect position to drop new consoles soon, so we recommend tracking the site via PopFindr. If you’re trying to get one online, you’ll have to rely on the aforementioned tools and Target’s PS5 hub page.
Best Buy
It’s been a really long time since the last Best Buy restock. The last major one occurred on Friday, March 26. An early April one was predicted, but the date came and went with no news. The silver lining is that it means the retailer is bound to get new consoles soon. It’s been over a month, so there’s a very good chance we see some movement in May.
Best buy is generally a good place to get a PS5 when it’s available. The website works well with tools like OctoShop, so we recommend setting that up. If we do get another Friday restock this week, you want to bookmark the store’s PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition pages.
Walmart
It’s been a minute since Walmart’s last restock, which occurred on Thursday, April 15 at 3 p.m. Eastern. We’re approaching the one-month mark here, so it seems like another refresh could drop any minute. It’s important to note that sometimes retailers tend to get stock on the same day, leading to a big wave. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Walmart and Best Buy both get more stock around the same time.
To get an edge over the rest of the world, make sure you’re following Walmart on social media. It’s very rare that it doesn’t give fair warning, but if you’re still paranoid you can keep an eye on Walmart’s PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition Store pages anyways.
GameStop
GameStop used to be behind the competition, but it’s become a more consistent retailer in recent months (which makes sense, considering that it’s a gaming store). It’s last refresh was on Wednesday, April 28 at around 2 p.m. Eastern. The retailer got multiple restocks in April, so things look promising for May at the moment.
GameStop can provide a good way to get bundles with games or extra controllers included if you want to go big. Pay attention to the retailer’s PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition store pages and keep an eye on their emails and social channels for restock updates.
PlayStation Direct
As the name implies, PlayStation Direct is the best way to get a console directly from Sony. The only catch is that you’ll have to use a queue system that’s becoming the bane of many fans’ existence. Going to the PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition PS Direct pages when a restock happens will put you in line and you’ll only have a chance to get a console if it’s still in stock once you reach the front. It’s not a fun experience for the impatient.
This is usually a reliable option for those who don’t mind waiting. Its last refresh happened on Tuesday, April 13 and was consistent with previous ones. The queue usually opens up in the later afternoon and starts selling consoles around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. Eastern. Tuesdays and Wednesdays both seem to be Sony’s day of choice, so keep an eye out during your evenings on those days.
Amazon
Amazon may seem like a convenient site, but it’s a crapshoot for PS5 hunters. Consoles go up pretty infrequently and have 4 week gaps between them at best. The last restock happened on Saturday, April 24 at around 3:50 p.m. Eastern. That means there’s a good chance we don’t see another refresh until late May.
If Amazon does restock PS5 consoles again this month, you’ll want OctoShop or another tool to notify you. If you just want to get lucky, you can also refresh the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition store pages.
Newegg
Newegg was part of the most recent wave of restocks on Wednesday, April 28. Hopeful fans could enter a lottery to have a chance to buy a system bundle.
Other than that, it’s been very quiet on the Newegg front lately. The retailer has offered PS5 bundles over the past few months, but this was their first restock in over a month. For the most part, they aren’t a very reliable site to watch thanks to their lottery system. While there’s no word on when the next official restock might happen, Newegg has several different bundles, and anyone with a registered account can sign up directly for restock notifications.
Antonline
Antonline is one of the more consistent retailers around right now, despite being a smaller name. The niche site got multiple restocks in April, including on the 6th, 15th, and 23rd of the month. It seems to be on a once a week cadence at the moment, so this might be your best bet for now.
The retailer sells big bundles that include extra controllers and a PS Plus membership. If you’ll use those add-ons, great, but be warned that the bundles often have a hefty price tag. (For instance, a bundle including the $399 PS5 Digital Edition will set you back a cool $650 with all the extras). Considering the consistency with which it refreshes consoles, so you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out throughout the week. Stake out its PS5 landing hub here, which also includes all the accessories you need.
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