Finding where to buy the PS5 has proven to be one of the toughest challenges gamers have faced in some time. The standard PS5 and the PS5 Digital Edition seem to be perpetually sold out at all retailers. And scoring one now comes down to persistence and timing, as inventory is always in short supply when it appears online.
But as December rolls on and we approach the holidays, we’ve started to see signs that PS5 stock is appearing in retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop, as well as places you might not expect. So, how will you beat the PS5 bots that are snatching up consoles? It starts with being prepared to pounce on a PlayStation 5 the second it appears.
We recommend you keep this page bookmarked and regularly check the retailers we have listed below, as they could be your best bet at finding where to buy the PS5.
Where to buy PS5: Check PS5 stock right now
As of 8:22 am ET, the PS5 is currently out of stock, but it can pay to check the following retailers often. Note that Walmart Canada will have PS5 stock today as of 11 am ET, but we do not yet know if the retailer will have stock in the U.S. Use the links below.
Where to buy PS5: Latest stock updates, who to follow
The Sony Twitter account is worth following so you can get notifications about the next batches of available PS5 units. We also recommend following Twitter accounts such as @PS5StockAlerts, @GYXdeals and @Wario64, which are often first to have the latest updates on availability. Recently, availability has been regional, as Walmart and EBGames in Canada will be getting units on December 3 at 11 a.m. ET.
So if you have a friend in Canada, perhaps you can ask them to order you a PS5. But expect the stock to fly off the virtual shelves; they are online order only.
If you’re struggling to find any PS5 stock anywhere, don’t give up hope. Sony recently tweeted that it’s working to get more PS5 consoles ready for the end of the year.
“Demand for PS5 is unprecedented, so we wanted to confirm that more PS5 inventory will be coming to retailers before the end of the year – please stay in touch with your local retailers,” said Sony.
If you do manage to get a PS5, it’s possible that it could be stolen before it even reaches your door. Many Amazon PS5 customers have claimed that their shipments have gone missing, and Amazon UK has pledged to replace those units.
So make sure to keep this page bookmarked and to check the retailer listings regularly.
PS5 at Walmart
PS5: $499 at Walmart
Check stock Walmart has started selling the PS5, complete with protection plans that start at $58 for 3 years of service. Currently it’s unavailable though.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Walmart
Check stock Walmart also offers the PS5 Digital Edition with Walmart protection plans that start at $38 for 3 years. Unfortunately it’s also currently unavailable to buy.View Deal
PS5 at Amazon
PS5: $499 at Amazon
Amazon has started selling the base PS5, but stock has sold out at the time of writing.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Amazon
Amazon also sells the PS5 Digital Edition, but it has also sold out of this PS5 version. View Deal
PS5 at Best Buy
PS5: $499 at Best Buy
Best Buy has started selling the PS5, complete with optional 2-year accident protection and several cardmember financing options. When we last checked however, there aren’t any consoles available.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Best Buy
Best Buy also has the PS5 Digital Edition, but it’s also proving hard to find in stock.View Deal
PS5 at GameStop
PS5: $499 at GameStop
GameStop is offering the PS5, complete with product replacement options and payment plan options that start at $124.99. However, the product is currently listed as out of stock.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at GameStop
GameStop also has the PS5 Digital Edition, but we didn’t see any available stock when we last checked.View Deal
PS5 at Target
PS5: $499 at Target
Target is selling the PS5, but like other retailers, stock has been going fast. The retailer also offers a 2 year protection plan starting at $63.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Target
Target has started offering the PS5 Digital Edition but it’s been quickly going out of stock. Protection plans start at $47 for the discless console.
View Deal
PS5 at B&H
PS5: $499 at B&H
The standard PS5 is being sold at B&H Photo with a free expedited shipping option. There’s no stock right now, but you can sign up for notifications.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at B&H
The PS5 Digital Edition is also currently unavailable, but B&H is offering free expedited shipping and will notify you when it has more stock via email if you wish.
View Deal
How to buy PS5: Essential tips
Get prepared: Make sure you have all the right payment card details and two-factor authentication available and to hand when you find a PS5 ready to buy. Units can go so fast that if you’re fiddling around trying to find your credit card you could miss your chance to secure a PS5 order.
Select a retailer: As you can see from our list above, there are plenty of retailers to choose from, which can actually make the whole process of buying a PS5 a bit complicated. We suggest you select a couple of major retailers like Walmart and Amazon, and keep an eye on their PS5 landing pages.
Sign up to stock alerts: Plenty of retailers offer to alert you to when they have PS5 stock in. We suggest you sign up to those services for the retailers that are offering them.
Find the right product page: It might sound obvious, but make sure you’re on the actual buying page for the PS5 or the PS5 Digital Edition. If you’re on a landing page, you might end up missing the moment new stock arrives.
Sign in to retailers: Make sure you sign in to any retailers you might already have an account with. This will make things a lot faster when buying a PS5 if you spot one on sale. And speed is of the essence today.
Keep refreshing and don’t give up: It can be a little demoralizing trying to find PS5 stock when everywhere looks sold out. But regularly refresh product pages to see what pops up; you might get lucky. And also keep checking back here for any PS5 stock updates.
You can also make it a habit of checking Slickdeals, the online collection of deals that run the gamut from household appliances to gaming consoles like the PS5. The website has a few specific forum threads for everything PS5 that users continue to update. If you follow the thread, head to the last page and keep refreshing to keep up with all the latest news.
It’s also a good idea to check a few of the subscription-based wholesaler retailers like Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Costco. You do need a paid membership to shop at these retailers, but that means reduced competition to snag a unit there. You may need to pay extra for a bundle, but it’s worth checking out these locations either way. Currently, there are no online listings for these retailers to check, but it may be worth heading to each brick-and-mortar store to try your luck at this point.
It’s been a fairly difficult process during this console generation to lock in any sort of next-gen purchase. But as we near the holidays, it’s highly likely there will be additional PS5s available for purchase at some point as Sony catches up with those looking to buy PS5s.
PS5 restocks: Accounts to follow
Where to buy PS5: Avoid the PS5 scalpers
Unfortunately, one of the main reasons for the shortage of PS5 consoles is down to scalpers. These opportunistic people have been using bots to scan retailers for PS5 stock when it becomes available and buy as many of the consoles as they can in one go.
Once they have the highly-desirable console, they will then sell them on for extortionate prices, often for thousands of dollars. Business Insider reported one reseller managed to get hold of 200 PS5 consoles and managed to sell them for more than $40,000.
While this isn’t illegal, it’s not exactly the most morally sound thing to do. But at least it’s not as bad as some people who’ve been pretending to sell PS5 consoles on eBay by simply posting photos of the console and scamming people to bid for them when there was no PS5 on offer.
We advise you avoid buying from such resellers, fake or otherwise. At $499 the PS5 is still quite an expensive console and it currently doesn’t have a huge library of games to play on it. So if you can wait until 2021 you’re likely to have a lot more PS5 games to choose from and Sony should have more consoles available.
It might seem absurd to buy a PS5 for over $1,000, especially as its launch game lineup isn’t particularly profund. But with the coronavirus pandemic seeing more people staying at home, some PlayStation fans are clearly desperate to get their hands on a new console to keep them entertained over the holiday season.
Speaking of the coronavirus, social media posts from the recent Black Friday sales showed how people are so keen to get a PS5, they’ll crowd into shopping centers despite the risk of getting a deadly virus when social distancing can’t be maintained. Again, we advise you don’t put your health at risk to get a PS5 even though it’s a very impressive gaming console.
