PS5 restock: where to buy the Sony console (original) (raw)

PS5 restock with a DualSense controller in hand

Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut

The PS5 restock news has slowed in 2024, as the Sony PlayStation 5 console is easy to purchase at all retailers in the United States. Instead, our reporting has turned to the PlayStation Portal restock crisis that’s affecting gamers who want to go mobile.

The good news is that The Shortcut’s editorial team has been able to track Sony’s stretched inventory no matter the PlayStation console or accessory. And now, on this updated page, we’re highlighting where to buy the PS5 at the best possible price. During Black Friday, we saw the PS5 fall to as low as $349 at Target, though it was a bit of a bait-and-switch as supply was so limited.

In reality, you can buy the PS5 or new PS5 Slim with a game included for 499atWalmart.Thatmeansthegameisessentiallyfreeasthebundlepricedropsby499 at Walmart. That means the game is essentially free as the bundle price drops by 499atWalmart.Thatmeansthegameisessentiallyfreeasthebundlepricedropsby50. While gamers are waiting for the at-one-time-planned Xbox Series X Slim, Sony has already launched a lighter console that’s readily in stock.

Did you notice all of the online stores in the US are now carrying the PS5 Slim except for Target? While the PlayStation 5 console hasn’t seen a significant price drop since Cyber Monday, the included game – a must have for many gamers – is bundled free of charge. At least for now.

We haven’t seen a PS5 restock of the bundle with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in several weeks. It’s currently sold out at Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon. The same goes for the prior bundles with the original PS5 console, including Horizon: Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok. So this Spider-Man 2 PS5 bundle end soon too.

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I was able to use my expertise to track each PS5 restock in the US when it became difficult to find the Sony PlayStation console during its first two years on sale. Now I’m seeking the best price for the PS5 for everyone, keeping tabs on the best PlayStation Plus discount code out there, and ranking the best PS5 accessories.

Now, it’s the PlayStation Portal restocks that are on the mind, and in between my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review updates, I’m scouring sources from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and GameStop to get alerts about the new PS5 price drop.

When I started tracking the PlayStation 5 console at launch, I became an expert on when and where the console would be in stock. That’s less of a problem today, as inventory has been plentiful as most retailers in the US – except if you’re deciding between the PS5 Disc vs Digital and want the latter at $399. Inventory of PS5 Digital has been scarce in comparison to its disc counterpart.

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is still where I track all of the PS5 consoles and accessories, so it remains worthwhile to turn on notifications, as I tweet (or post) when and where to buy the console at a discount or when there the PS Plus free games launch. But you can buy the PlayStation 5 right now at a reasonable price without my help. The Shortcut has moved on to giving you the lowdown on the God of War Ragnarok review and PSVR 2 specs. We also refresh the best PS5 games list every month now that so many people have the console.

Previous reporting: Shockingly, not every store in the US has a PS5 restock right now. Walmart, for example, isn’t carrying the console at MSRP and you won’t find a way to purchase it without a bundle even if you did overpay. So my PS5 tracking expertise is needed for some people who just don’t know where to buy the two-year-old console. My time is split between helping those people and writing other articles – The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3D review and the Super Nintendo World review.

PS5 inventory levels should be healthy because demand has dipped and the supply chain is no longer strained. Gone are the days when you needed to queue up for a chance to buy this video game console from GameStop, Best Buy and other retailers. But if that ever happens again, or if the PS5 Pro launches with more demand than on-hand inventory, I’ll be using my Twitter tracker to help everyone out.

PS5 restock GameStop

Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut

The Shortcut launched in the midst of the PS5 restock craze, and I was getting a lot of exclusive information derived from internal GameStop memos (literally in-hand as you can see from the photo below). I detailed the bundle prices days before GameStop would make an official announcement about its PlayStation 5 restock.

PS5 restock GameStop Matt Swider

PS5 restock Twitter tracker

How has my PS5 restock Twitter tracker become so reliable? I’ve taken my 24 years of tech journalism experience (I do more than PS5 restock news, as evidenced by my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review) and basically started to ever-so-kindly nag my reliable retail and supply chain sources. Then I tweet what I know and do in-depth guides on The Shortcut.

I’ve now helped 400,000 of my one million Twitter followers get a next-gen gaming console thanks to my tweet alerts and my old-school reporting.

PS5 restock tweetPS5 restock Twitter tracker

PS5 restock date

🆕 How the PS5 restock worked (and could work again) Each GameStop PS5 restock used happened twice in the last month, as stores are got the console in smaller batches. Xbox was usually in stock at some GameStop stores at the same time, but as our PS5 vs Xbox Series X comparison shows, there has always been a gulf between how readily available these two consoles are today (and it’s hurting Sony’s PS5 sales).

⏲️ But what time if it happens online again?
If GameStop runs out of the PS5, check its GameStop online during its typical PS5 restock time of Tuesdays at 11am EST/8am PST.

🏆 Why it’s always your best shot
GameStop is your best bet to get a console. Why? It deters resellers by only selling game-and-accessory-included PS5 bundles. It’s actually a really good thing. It goes to real gamers who intended to buy games anyway.

PS5 restock news

While I suggested that it’s best to wait in line one to two hours in advance (and that was a good idea in some parts of the United States), not all GameStop stores sold out of Sony PS5 consoles on days one and two. This is due to the fact that GameStop forces its customers to purchase a bundle, a long-held tradition that has prevented resellers from buying up all of the PlayStation 5 consoles.

PS5 restock GameStop store locations

Best Buy PS5 restock

Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut

🗺️ The basics Every Best Buy PS5 restock is a lot like Target – you purchase online and pick up the console at your local store. But in this case, you pick it up about five days later. That’s because the console you are purchasing isn’t sitting in an individual store, but at a regional warehouse. At the time of purchase, it’s then shipped to your local store (hence the five-day delay).

🏷️ Do you still need Best Buy Totaltech for PS5?
Of all the retailers’ paywalls, Totaltech was the hardest to swallow. At $199, you get free GeekSquad IT support (though don’t buy into it think this includes fixing hardware parts), extended warranties, and discounts, but there’s no monthly option. My followers have gotten away with canceling their membership (it’s prorated so they pay for the month), but this isn’t something I can say with authority will always work.

Thankfully, Best Buy has mostly dropped the Totaltech requirement when trying to buy a PS5. That’s good news because while Best Buy’s $199 barrier-to-entry has slowed down the bots – sometimes the PS5 console just sits there with no takers for several minutes – it was never a guarantee. I bought Totaltech during one of the PS5 restocks where demand was high and got no console.

PS5 restock at Target stores

🗺️ The basics:
Target does online orders with same-day in-store pickups (don’t worry, you have a few days to make the pickup if you can’t make it on day one). It feels great to see my followers smiling with their console-in-hand photos almost immediately after ordering the PlayStation 5 in the morning. You can go from wanting a PS5 for over a year to playing Ratchet & Clank in a matter of hours.

With Target, you’re buying online, but competing with your neighbors as you select a local store. Usually, when enough PlayStation 5 consoles trickle into the back rooms of its individual stores, it does a nationwide online restock (please don’t go to Target stores to pester Target employees, as PS5 is only sold online at Target).

⏲️ Target PS5 restock time
It’s always early, between 7am and 8am EST, and that’s even earlier on the West Coast, but at 4am PST, very few of your neighbors are up, so you have a better shot than anyone else in the United States. In 2021, the day of the week has shifted, but it’s always been a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday for the past 12 months.

🤫 Secret tip: Pay with PayPal or Apple Pay to bypass the Target servers
Pay with PayPal or Apple Pay at Target. Target’s normal credit card processing fields are what everyone else goes for as it’s right there on that page, but that page is always getting hammered with traffic during a PS5 restock. Being whisked out to PayPal’s stronger servers (an option fewer people try) is the way to go.

🤫 Secret tip 2: don’t buy PS5 Digital (14x less inventory than PS5 Disc) See our PS5 Disc vs Digital comparison. The biggest mistake people make during a Target PS5 restock is waiting for the PS5 Digital version (which almost always comes second) and letting the PS5 Disc console pass them by. It’s $100 cheaper for PS5 Digital, but inventory just isn’t there at any of the retailers. I’ve checked their inventory (thanks to Target sources) – it’s sometimes 40:1 at Target stores with PS5 Disc more available.

I always do a Walmart PS5 restock live stream showing exactly how to buy the PS5 from Walmart. It really helps because you can ask questions in the chat and you’ll see how I check out.

The last few Walmart PS5 restock events required a paid Walmart+ (the free trial wouldn’t work). There are two things people who aren’t The Shortcut subscribers in the know keep asking me: “Do I need Walmart+?” Yes. “Do I need to have the paid version instead of the free trial?” Yes. Access to hard-to-buy items like the PlayStation 5 won’t work on the Walmart+ free trial.

🔢 Steps to buying PS5 at Walmart next time

  1. Get a Walmart+ membership for 12.95/moor12.95/mo or 12.95/moor98 (if you’re going to use it, the annual plan is a better value). Scroll down to reveal the free trial.
  2. Get my help: follow me on Twitter – I’ll count down to the Walmart PS5 restock with siren-filled Twitter alerts and I’ll provide links through these notifications
  3. Don’t go for PS5 Digital if it’s even in stock. Through my links, I helped 14,000 get a console per week in December. Fourteen as many PS5 Discs sell compared to either PS5 Digital or Xbox Series X. Think about that.
  4. Refresh the Walmart PS5 links I provide at 2:58am EST steadily for one minute until you drop into a queue (the page will change with a center-aligned box telling you your time)
  5. At that moment, move on to a different device or browser (so that the cookie files aren’t shared – otherwise Walmart will just reflect your queue spot you just secured in Step 4). You have less of a shot here, so feel free to try PS5 Digital, Xbox Series X or use this as a way to increase your chances for PS5 Disc.

🗺️ The basics Walmart PS5 restocks are always online, and recently have been locked behind the Walmart+ membership for $12.95/mo to prevent scripted bots from scooping up all of the consoles. It doesn’t completely stop all of the bots, but it certainly helps.

You won’t find PS5 in Walmart stores – except for random stores in Texas where rebel employees don’t seem to follow the rules of headquarters every once in a while.

Why is Walmart a challenge? Popularity. I see more activity on my tweets for Walmart than any other retailer (122,000+ click through the links in one tweet). Also, web traffic for ‘PS5 restock’ spikes when it’s Walmart restocking the console. They tend to announce their PS5 restocks ahead of time, which certainly hypes up their PS5 sale.

⏲️ Timing of restocks Online-only: It’s usually one of three times: 12pm ET, 3pm ET, or rarely 9pm ET.

Besides Walmart, I have a Sony Direct PS5 queue guide and Target PS5 stock info, but recent changes to Target have made the Sony console harder to come by.

The PS5 restock is caused by the global ship shortage that has yet to be solved. Sony also keeps launching new games, including Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon: Forbidden West, and new hardware, like the PSVR 2 headset.

Amazon PS5 restock how to

🆕 Amazon switches to an invite system
The last two Amazon PS5 restock events happened the day after Amazon Prime Day deals wrapped up for October, both via invitations sent to customers by email. The number of people mentioning that they got the PlayStation 5 console through Amazon is low, so it seems as if it’s drip-feeding PS5 restock invites rather slowly.

🗺️ Basics for PS5 at Amazon You’ll need Amazon Prime to buy PlayStation 5, but even with one, Amazon remains the hardest retailer to purchase from. Like Walmart, it’s very popular. Unlike Walmart Plus, tons of people have a Prime membership. Amazon also remains a favorite target of resellers’ bots, even after going behind a paywall.

🤫 Secret tip 1: Click “See all buying options” instead of add-to-cart Whenever I see PS5 in stock at Amazon (outside of the new invite method), it never has the normal add-to-cart button. The price is displayed in small text alongside the words “See All buying options” or if that’s not there “New & Used”. Click that button and a pop-out menu will show all of the options, which should include the PS5 at MSRP (if not, refresh until it shows up).

🤫 Secret tip 2: Add-to-cart trick (see the pic above)
When it’s in stock, you can skip the add-to-cart button altogether and select the “Add to List” button. A pop-up will ask you if you want to “View List” and selecting that will whisk you to a different page (that’s a good thing). From your wish list page, you can add it to your cart. The theory here is this page isn’t getting hammered with traffic and it’s easier to get it in your cart this way.

Updated: January 29, 2024