UPDATE August 5, 2021: Walmart is restocking PS5 and PS5 Digital consoles today beginning at 3 PM ET/12 PM PT.
If you're in the US and you're still searching for a PS5, my condolences. The PS5 restock situation has been a massive pain since the PS5 preorders first went live on September 17, 2020. If you've been able to actually load a retailer's page enough to check-out during a restock, you know the process has been plagued by technical problems, dashing the hopes and dreams of many.
However, things are looking up. Sony said PS5 production is on track for 22 million consoles by the end of its fiscal year, and it's already sold 10 million PS5s in spite of the immense problems with supply.
Where to Buy PS5
When PS5 stocks come back online, these are the retail links where they live:
Improve Your Chances of Buying a PS5
Beyond the obvious need to be in the right place at the right time, there are a few things you can do ahead of time to improve your chances of getting a PS5 when they do briefly pop into stock.
Create Retailer Logins Before PS5 Comes Back In Stock
So you've managed to get to the product page and add a PS5 to your cart. The thrill of victory grows ever closer, and after 10 times of hitting the check-out button, you're taken to a login page to either sign-in or use a guest account. Using a guest account means entering in your credit card info, billing and shipping, and maybe hitting a CAPTCHA, all of which are costing you valuable seconds. If you already have an account, you can log-in and move through the check-out process more easily.
Follow Dedicated Twitter Accounts
The demand for PS5 and Xbox Series X has meant a rise in the number of stock-tracking Twitter accounts, but for my money, if you really want to ensure the fastest possible response, follow one of the Big 3 Deals Accounts listed below:
- IGNDeals (of course)
- Wario64
- CAG Video Game Deals
There are so many more, but those are the ones I personally recommend, and they will help improve your chances of scoring that sweet PS5.
Buy a Bundle
One of the problems with PS5 stock has been its appeal to scalpers, thanks to its incredibly high demand and seemingly miniscule supply. In an effort to make the PS5 less attractive to scalpers, retailers like GameStop routinely offer bundled deals, throwing in an extra controller and a year of PS Plus, for example. The bundles don't have a mark-up, and in fact sometimes they represent a slightly better deal than buying the items separately. If you plan on getting PS Plus or a few games anyway, definitely consider spending a little more up front for a bundle. Usually the PS5 bundles last much longer than the consoles alone, so it also saves you a bit of a headache.
Sign Up for Retailer Alerts
I put this one last because it's not the most reliable (has anyone actually ever gotten an email from Amazon when anything has come back into stock?). But if you do sign up at places like GameStop or Walmart, you will occasionally get an email letting you know ahead of time when they're going to have another restock.
The same thing holds true for certain retailer Twitter accounts. GameStop's official Twitter has been really great at giving you a heads-up ahead of a bundle restock, and Walmart, too, has tweeted out upcoming availability.
Where to Buy PS5 Accessories
It's not just the console that's hard to find, even PS5 accessories like the Pulse 3D headset and the DualSense charging station have been a pain to get your hands on.
When they do come into stock, they last much longer than PS5 restocks do, but they're still hot items.
Sony also announced M.2 SSD support is coming to the PS5, and we have a solid list of the best PS5 compatible M.2 SSDs to upgrade your onboard storage.
When Will It Be Easy to Buy a PS5?
That's an extremely difficult question to answer, but one that's on everyone's lips. In 2020, 4.5 million PS5 consoles were shipped worldwide, Sony said, putting it inline with the PS4 launch numbers. Sony's short-term goal for PS5 is 14.8 million consoles by the end of its second year, and it looks like it could make it, with semiconductor procurement ramping up to meet the massive demand for PS5. Microsoft is facing similar shortages of the Xbox Series X, although it expects the shortages to peter off by the beginning of the second quarter of this year, and in fact Microsoft has already seen a bump in sales as its consoles become more prevalent (although still very hard to find).