PS5 restock: Twitter tracker for GameStop, Best Buy, Target and Amazon dates
The next PS5 restock in the US has been confirmed at GameStop this week, and you'll get alerts if you follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider – follow and turn on notifications. Why do you need fast alerts? Because the Sony console is next to impossible to find in stock – but Matt will help you get the $499 PS5 Disc or $399 PS5 Disc console at MSRP. In addition to GameStop, he and TechRadar are also tracking other stores in the US, including Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Amazon and, according to our exclusive sources, we're in for a good week of PS5 stock.
When will PS5 restock next?
► When? Follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider and turn on notifications for instant restock news. It's the fastest way to get PS5 updates.
The next PS5 restock date is at GameStop this week – confirmed for Friday, October 22, 2021. It'll be a GameStop PS5 restock in-store event happening in seven cities around the United States: Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago and Boston.
However, we've also gotten word, through our exclusive sources, that GameStop will still have PS5 restock events online. In both cases, the PS5 restock news is the same: it'll be for bundles of the console, so expect to pay for games, accessories and the PlayStation Plus membership – but that's a good thing as it deters resellers.
Will PS5 restock Black Friday?
Yes, PS5 will be in stock during Black Friday. we've gotten word that more than one retail chain in the US are amassing PS5 consoles in warehouses, and we even have video evidence from Walmart having several palettes of PS5 consoles ready.
When? It's also going to be crucial to know when PS5 and other hard-to-find deals are in stock during Black Friday 2021, and we're also offering a way to get email alerts during November. It'll be full of links to what you want to buy.
► Get powerful email advice: Sign up for Matt's weekly newsletter to figure out how to get everything you want during Black Friday.
Which stores have PS5 in stock most often?
Stick to shopping for PS5 Disc and PS5 Digital at legitimate stores: GameStop, Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Amazon. Antonline and Newegg are the only two retailer stores that are reliable but do not have household names. You can trust them.
If you haven't heard of the retailer, it's probably not safe to buy. Several "retailers" have popped up overnight to scam people out of money meant for a PS5 (that never arrives). And it's good business: many people fall for these daily.
In fact, we've helped get the word out that about PS5 Twitter scams. If it sounds too good to be true, it most certainly is – you won't get a console the easy way.
► Never buy from other Twitter users – ever. They're all scams. Only buy from the US stores Matt alerts you about. No one will sell a PS5 for just $550.
Here's a prime example of what these crucial PS5 restock alerts look like:
GameStop PS5 restock date confirmed
- Next GameStop PS5 restock date: In select GameStop stores Friday, October 22
- Last online GameStop PS5 restock date: Tuesday, September 28 at 11am EDT
- How to buy PS5 from GameStop: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider
It's been a while since we've seen a GameStop PS5 restock, however, that's about to change in a big way, according to our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider. We even have the GameStop PS5 restock store location list going ahead of the Friday PS5 drop.
GameStop PS5 restock in-store event: The Sony console will be in select GameStop stores throughout the US on Friday, October 22, 2021. What time? When your local store normally opens, so it'll vary and you should expect a line in front of the door.
GameStop PS5 restock online date: Don't think that GameStop will be limiting its PS5 restock events to just in stores. As we've reported previously, the game retailer will have the console online too, and it's happening soon, according to our exclusive sources, and we already know GameStop often prefers Tuesday mornings. Sure enough, we've gotten word of PS5 console inventory on the move internally.
GameStop PS5 restock advice: You can be turned off at GameStop for its forced bundles, but this has allowed it to become the most frequent source of PlayStation 5 console sales in the second half of 2021. You'll end up paying $650 for a PS5 Digital console and $750 for PS5 Disc (in stores, last time it was priced at $705 for PS5 Disc). That seems like a lot, but resellers aren't able to profit from the console nearly as easily when it includes games (which are readily available in stores).
Sony Direct PS5 restock email invite changes
- Sign up for email invites now ahead of their rollout in November
The new Sony Direct PS5 restock email invite today process involves registering for PSN ID with Sony, affirming you want to purchase a console.
Sony's store works differently than most retailers that have PS5 for sale. It randomly selects active PSN users via email to purchase the console in a lottery-like virtual queue. Sometimes it has enough consoles saved for a second virtual queue that's opened to all registered PSN users.
You can also get our emails for critical walkthroughs of PS5 restock events:
Learn from our GameStop PS5 restock live stream
PS5 restock tutorials on YouTube are the best way to figure out how to checkout at each store in the US, and they're all different. We went through the step-by-step instructions on how to buy a PS5 at GameStop with a YouTube live stream.
You can actually see Matt 'cart' (almost checkout with) a PS5 Digital console bundle (he didn't because he doesn't need another PS5 console).
Best Buy PS5 restock tied to Totaltech membership
- Last Best Buy Totaltech PS5 restock date: Monday, October 11
- Last major Best Buy PS5 restock date: Friday, October 1 at 1:14pm EDT
- How to buy PS5 from Best Buy: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider
Best Buy PS5 restock forces membership: Best Buy has tied its PlayStation 5 stock to its Totaltech membership in the most recent restock, and that would be fine (GameStop does a membership for $15 annually and it's a good deal), but in Best Buy's case it costs $199 a year. Ouch.
The first and so far only Best Buy restock with Totaltech was on Monday, October 11. We found out two things: First, some consumers have a free year-long Totaltech membership from TV and home appliance purchases during Black Friday last year.
Second, other followers of Matt Swider were able to purchase the Totaltech membership, get their PS5 and cancel the service within a 30-day period. There's no telling if this will work, but others have had experience finding this loophole, despite what the official Best Buy press release says about the year-long comittment.
Best Buy restock time: The restock date is hard to nail down outside of the fact that it's never in stock during the weekends or evenings. But the official restock time always falls between 9:37am EDT and 5:05am EDT, so destined for working hours in the US Eastern time zone. It's a big window, sure, but one we can easily track on Twitter.
Target PS5 restock – consoles trickling in
- Next Target PS5 restock date: Probably not this week
- Last Target PS5 restock date: Friday, October 13 at 7:38am EDT
- How to buy PS5 from Target: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider
What we know: PS5 consoles are trickling in to Target stores at the time of writing this article, but there's not enough inventory for another restock date. Not just yet.
Next week or, more likely, the week after is a real possibility, as we've recently seen a Target PS5 restock every week-and-a-half to three weeks. The last stock was for sale online with an in-store pickup on October 13 at 7:38am EDT. But it wasn't available at every Target store in the US, according to our 24/7 tracking.
Target PS5 restock time: While the retailer has shifted its PlayStation 5 restock day in the past, the Target PS5 restock time is consistent: in 2021, it's always been 7am EDT to 8am EDT, with one exception: two restocks ago happened a little outside that window at 8:14am EDT.
Target PS5 restock advice: Don't pass up PS5 Disc, which is almost always in-stock first for PS5 Digital, which often goes in stock second. PS5 Digital stock is extremely low every single time – and sometimes PS5 Digital doesn't come in stock at all.
Amazon PS5 restock date: October 21?
- Next Amazon PS5 restock date: On or around October 21
- How to buy PS5 from Amazon: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider
The Amazon PS5 restock dates have become easier to predict not really because of sources in this case – Amazon seems to have shut down leaks – but because the online retail giant has been stocking new PS5 consoles around the 21st of every month, give or take a few days.
Specifically, we saw PS5 in stock at Amazon on September 21, August 25, July 21, June 23, May 26 and April 21 this year. That's pretty consistent restock track record, thought here are instances in which PS5 Digital didn't show up alongside PS5 Disc (there's always less PS5 Digital inventory at stores) or got shoehorned in on a different date (like September 2) without PS5 Disc accompanying it.
The Amazon PS5 restock time was fluctuating between late mornings (10:10am EDT to 11:05am EDT with the one-off Amazon Treasure Truck drop happening at 12pm EDT) and late nights (12:03am EDT to 3:18am EDT). But we haven't seen a middle-of-the-night PS5 drop since Amazon Prime Day, so neither we're overdue for one in October or Amazon is sticking to those late morning restocks.
It hasn't gotten any easier to buy the PS5 on Amazon when a restock happens. This is despite the fact that their latest restock date, September 21 at 11:03am EDT, did give Amazon Prime members priority access to buying the Sony console. We'll see if it gets any easier on or around October 21, 2021.
Walmart PS5 restock dates on Thursdays
- Last Walmart PS5 restock date: Thursday, September 23 at 9pm EDT
- How to buy PS5 from Walmart: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider
There hasn't been a Walmart PS5 restock for several weeks, and that's for two reasons, according to our retail sources inside Walmart warehouses in the US.
First, it's backed up on PS5 orders of the console from previous restocks and many consumers haven't been able to get their PS5 just yet. And there have been a few PS5 restocks since then, which have frustrated and confused everyone.
Second, PS5 stock is being amassed in warehouses, with inventory sitting on wooden palettes, according to video evidence we've seen. When will Walmart finally have a PS5 restock? It does often do Thursday restock dates.
Walmart PS5 restock date: Will there be a Walmart PS5 restock this week? We're always checking with our sources, but we know two things: it favors Thursdays (every Walmart PS5 restock has been on a Thursday except for one in 2021), and we know for a fact that its severely back-ordered PlayStation 5 shipments are making their way to US consumers sooner than the slated November dates (yes, not everyone has seen their 'order processing' status hasten, but a lot of people have).
Walmart PS5 restock times: We're giving Walmart a 50/50 shot every Thursday, and we know it's usually at specific times: 12pm EDT, 3pm EDT or 9pm EDT. And good news: we usually know in advance to narrow the restock time down.
Walmart shipping caution: Walmart takes a long time to ship, and if it continues to offer the console with dates in November like it did in September (a two-month gap), by the time November rolls around, it's going to have to be promising consoles in 2022, and no one wants to see that on Black Friday. It needed to slow down the pace a bit, and sure enough, it has recently.
Antonline PS5 restock – one next-gen bundle a week
- How to buy PS5 from Antonline: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider
Antonline has been consistent with its PS5 restocks, promising – and mostly fulfilling – a next-gen console restock once per week. We say mostly because sometimes it has the Xbox Series S in there, which isn't as difficult to find in stock compared to the PS5. Anyway, because Antonline had a PS5 Digital bundle last week, there's no guarantee it'll pick a Sony console this time, but it's a next-gen console to be sure.
Keep in mind: Antonline PS5 bundles will look pricey at first, but they're at face value for all of the games and accessories included. While consoles still sell out in about three minutes (or less), the bundles slow down resellers, who can't easily profit off of the extras. So it's a benefit to real gamers who want to play the bundled games.
73 days to find PS5 in stock for Christmas
Christmas Day is 67 days from today, and it's become vital for many people in the US to figure out the next PS5 restock. Usually, the consumers we've interviewed are buying for others, and as the holidays near, they're becoming more desperate.
Walmart, Best Buy and Target and Sony PlayStation Direct always have the PS5 for sale at MSRP, while GameStop and Antonline have easier-to-cart bundles at a higher price but at face value for everything included. But all require you to be fast enough with our PS5 restock Twitter alerts to even have a chance.
But, in a rare move, no retailer in the US has sold the PS5 in the last week. Best Buy had the console on Friday two weeks ago and that was the last big stock we've been able to report on. The biggest issue is usually that whenever we update our PS5 restock news, the console is sold out within minutes. But now it's just finding a restock to tweet about in general.
PS5 restock October deadline prediction came true
There's an 'October deadline', according to constant PS5 restock reporting from May 2021, and sure enough, we were right in that long-held, often doubted PS5 restock prediction has come true. It's not impossible to buy PS5, but it's gotten much harder.
But, we're staying true to our news analysis: it's going to be harder to get the console between now and Black Friday 2021. All we saw this past week was a pair of Xbox Series X restock opportunities, and why we are tracking the PS5 console 24/7. Being on top of these PS5 restock Twitter alerts is important to actually be able to find PS5 for sale.
Important note: We won't promise you a restock that isn't actually going to happen. We've seen other major tech websites inaccurately report PS5 to restock 'news' to get your hopes up, but Matt Swider has gained the trust of over 990,000 followers by tracking the console every day since it launched.
The good news is that the online stock of PS5 has been picking up and we've even seen two major retailers in the US restock in stores. It's not exactly "on store shelves" today like you'd hope, but instead, we've seen massive lines around city blocks on select restock dates. The $499 PS5 console and $399 PS5 Digital Edition console have been in stock in select physical locations twice so far.
PS5 restock: tips and advice on how to buy it
We have more sources inside the American retail market telling us about PS5 restock dates and times than any other publication in the US. Target and Best Buy sources give us PS5 restock level updates, while GameStop and Walmart supply chain insiders tip us off as to when the next PS5 stock is due to appear online.
There are also broad patterns: Every three weeks, Target does very early morning restocks, typically on Fridays in recent months (since July), and our sources send us information about stock levels to back up this timing (so we're not just relying on patterns). Best Buy has a restock every week or two and then takes a month off, confusing a lot of American consumers.
The most recent Best Buy restock time of 1:14pm EDT on Friday changed up the big-box US retailer's queue system to prevent PS5 restock bots (designed by resellers) from speeding through the add-to-cart button and go straight to checkout. It's about time. GameStop has a different approach: forcing bundles in the $700 price range for PS5 Disc that resellers and their bots don't touch.
In-store PS5 restocks become more popular
The big news is that the PS5 is starting to show up in stores. No, not on shelves, but sold in stores like GameStop and Best Buy with lines wrapped around the block.
The Best Buy RTX 3080 GPU restock events set the stage for the retailer to do the same for PS5. There have only been two in-store PS5 restocks at major American retailers, so don't expect too many of those. We had exclusive news stories about both the Best Buy in-store PS5 restock and the GameStop PS5 restock in-store event, so we'll send out alerts ahead of time so you can line up. But online PS5 restocks are more frequent.
We had on-the-ground reporting of both restock events – pretty much the only tech website doing so – and many of the people follow Matt's PS5 restock Twitter account.
Online PS5 restocks remain more frequent
PS5 restocks in person are still extremely rare, as we continue to see retailers sell the console online. Namely, Walmart, Target and Sam's Club do popular restocks that sell out in minutes.
Thursday is usually the most active day. Walmart usually restocks on a Thursday, though not every Thursday and it's back-ordered right now, while Antonline, a little-known retailer with good customer service and fast shipping, has guaranteed weekly restocks of next-gen consoles (so it could be an Xbox Series X restock on some weeks).
Target prefers Friday restocks, though it's switched thing up by going back to a very limited Wednesday restock this weekend. Target always restocks the PS5 restock in the morning, pretty much between 7am EDT and 8am EDT. In fact, there's been PS5 stock only at that time (except once) in 2021.
There hasn't been much news at club retailers in the United States. Costo hasn't had been good source of PS5 stock in several months and may be holding back until Christmas 2021, which makes sense. Sam's Club did a restock overnight this week, but PS5 availability there has been limited.
We can confirm that some retailers are purposely holding back consoles until closer to the holidays: think early November to meet ongoing demand and tie into early Black Friday deals. So you should find a console soon enough – if you keep up with the PS5 restock news and alerts.
- How to buy PS5 today: Follow our PS5 restock Twitter account
source https://www.techradar.com/news/ps5-restock-in-us-september-2021/
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