PS5 restock: live Twitter tracker for Target, Best Buy, Walmart and GameStop PS5 restock

Our PS5 restock Twitter tracker is back with new dates and times, and it’s getting easier to buy it – if you follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider and turn on notifications. You’ll get alerts when Target, Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop and other stores in the US have the Sony PlayStation 5 console for sale. These alerts have helped nearly 80,000 people buy a next-gen console, and we can confirm that retailers have recently gone through a lot of changes. GameStop often has bundles on certain Tuesday mornings, and Matt gets a heads-up the night before, while Best Buy is overdue and Target has switched to two different drop methods.

Here’s how to know about the next PS5 restock using our alerts:

How to get our PS5 restock alerts today: Click on this screenshot of a PS5 restock alert from Twitter tracker Matt Swider and turn on notifications (that little bell icon in the profile) for instant alerts. This is what you’ll see when there’s the PS5 is in stock.

PS5 restock news: Sunday, August 29

PS5 restock dates in the US change dramatically in August 2021, with GameStop now the lead American retailer with the Sony console in stock. Why? Because it requires a $15 fee for its annual membership for ‘early access’ (consoles sell out before anyone else gets to buy them, so yes, it’s worth it) and bundles that everyone decries, it has basically eliminated resellers from scooping up PS5 stock. They can’t make a profit.

Last week, we saw a minor re-alignment of restock dates that we don’t think will stick around: the Walmart PS5 restock happened twice at 12pm EDT as well as 9pm EDT, Amazon rolled out its ‘Treasure Truck’ randomized restock, and GameStop had a mini restock of a single PS5 Digital bundle. This is why we think GameStop will have another restock in the coming days.

This week, we could see GameStop have consoles if that lone PS5 Digital stock was a fluke (Matt will know 12 hours in advance), while Best Buy remains overdue. Target has been fluctuating between local drops of the $499 PS5 Disc console on random dates and at random times, and then very small near nationwide drops on specific dates and times. Last Friday was a tiny nationwide restock.

Let’s explore the restock dates of each major retailer.

Target PS5 restock tracker

• Next PS5 restock date at Target: Strategy may have changed (see below)
• Last PS5 restock date at Target: August 27, 2021 at 8:15am EDT
• Buying/Shipping method: Online-only, same-day pickup in stores
• How to buy PS5 from Target: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider

The Target PS5 restock date has been harder to nail down because the US retailer is selling the console in two different ways.

Method 1
The nationwide restock dates have happened on a Friday for the past three cycles: Friday, August 27; Friday, July 30; and Friday, July 9, with either three or four weeks in between the dates. And even with four weeks between the last two PS5 drops, Target has very limited inventory – few $499 PS5 Disc consoles per store and even fewer $499 PS5 Digital Edition consoles. 

The Target PS5 restock time is usually between 7pm EDT and 8pm EDT with the most popular time being 7:40am EDT, although this past restock date was at 8:15am EDT, and that may be because the retailer’s page was having some glitches one hour before PS5 went on sale. 

The nationwide PS5 restock events are always early for the West Coast (7:40pm EDT is 4:40 PDT), but because you’re buying online to pick up in a local store, you’re competing with a bunch of neighbors who are asleep, so you have a better chance than anyone on the more-awake East Coast of the United States.

Method 2
This one is harder for our PS5 Twitter tracker to send an alert about because Target has recently (as of the last two months) been putting a few consoles online at a handful of stores. A few stores in Nebraska or Michigan will get about four consoles each one morning (rarely it happens at other times of the day), and they’re gone in an instant. And it’s hard to tell these from the more meaningful nationwide restocks. If you get a PS5 of these very limited local Target drops, consider yourself lucky.

Here’s an example of a PS5 restock alert from Target:

Best Buy PS5 restock tracker

• Next PS5 restock date (rumored): Possibly this week
• Last PS5 restock date at Best Buy: August 12, 2021 at 2:35pm EDT
• Buying/Pickup method: Online-only (not in stores), in-store pickup 3-5 days later
• How to buy PS5 from Best Buy: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider

This time last week, we reported – before other publications – that Best Buy would have an in-store GPU restock thanks to our exclusive sources. The retailer is still not supplying stores for a similar in-store PS5 restock, however. It’s sticking to doing it online, and sadly, its interface is very prone to bots scooping up the consoles.

The good news is you have our alerts to get it before the resellers’ bots claim all of the PS5 consoles at MSRP. The bad news is that Best Buy has picked very random days and times, ranging from 9:35am EDT and 5:05pm EDT in 2021.

Best Buy hasn’t had PS5 consoles since August 12 at 2:35pm EDT, so expect an alert that looks like the picture below – hopefully this week. 

PS5 restock Twitter tracker for Walmart

• Next PS5 restock date at Walmart: Usually on Thursday, but is on backorder
• Last PS5 restock date at Walmart: August 25, 2021 at 12pm EDT (rare Wednesday)
• Buying/Shipping method: Online-only, ships from one week to one month
• How to buy PS5 from Walmart: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider

The last Walmart PS5 restock switched things up with a rare non-Thursday restock – it’s been on a Thursday every time in 2021 – instead offering PlayStation 5 consoles on Wednesday, August 25. In fact there were two restock times: 12pm EDT and 9pm EDT, and went sent out alerts about both of them.

What does that mean for this week? Often (but not always) Walmart takes the week off between restocks, as inventory gets backed up, and sure enough, the people who bought from the last Walmart PS5 restock have delivery dates of October. Walmart takes the longest to ship, although it often ships next-gen consoles before proposed delivery dates (but in a few cases, it takes longer and offers a discount on the PS5). In one case, Walmart messed up a PS5 Digital restock so badly, it offering customers the PS5 Digital console in its place – with no upgrade. 

Will there be another Walmart PS5 restock this week? Will it return to the usual date and time of Thursday at 3pm EDT? We’ll keep tracking the box-box retailer 24/7, as it all depends on how many people are getting their console on time.

GameStop PS5 restock tracker

• Next PS5 restock date at GameStop: Every 7 to 15 days – so far it’s been 5 days
• Last small PS5 restock date at GameStop: August 25, 2021 at 11:00am EDT
• Last major PS5 restock date at GameStop: August 17, 2021 at 11:00am EDT
• Buying/Shipping method: Online-only, ships in 3-5 days
• How to buy PS5 from GameStop: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider

Our exclusive news reporting about the GameStop PS5 restock date gave people a headstart on the last three major console stock opportunities in the US. It’s where the Twitter followers of Matt Swider have seen the most success of any retailer. 

Why? Because GameStop requires you to pay a $15 a year membership fee (PowerUp Rewards Pro) and forces you to buy bundles. This prevents resellers from pouncing on the PS5, a problem we see at Walmart and Best Buy during every restock. So while you may pay around $750 for the PS5 Disc bundle with three games, an extra controller, and a gift card, it may be worth it if you’re a gamer and are desperate to find the PS5.

Matt usually knows about the GameStop PS5 restock date the night before it actually happens, so stay tuned for that all-important tweet before you go to bed.

PS5 restock Twitter tracker for Amazon

• Next PS5 restock date at Amazon: Overdue to additional PS5 consoles 
• Last minor PS5 restock date at Amazon: August 25, 2021 (via Treasure Truck)
• Last major PS5 restock date at Amazon: July 21, 2021 at 10:10am EDT
• Buying/Shipping method: Online-only, ships in 1-3 days
• How to buy PS5 from Amazon: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider

Amazon isn’t done yet, according to our sources, because while it had a minor PS5 restock on Wednesday, August 25 via its seemingly randomized Treasure Truck gimmick, it doesn’t seem like all of the consoles it was supposed to have were sold.

For example, we were expecting both PS5 Disc and PS5 Digital, and yet we only saw a few people get PS5 Disc for $499. We typically see a lot more from Amazon toward the end of the month and we’re wondering two things: does Amazon have more in store in the coming days? Or is it doing the opposite of the Walmart PS5 restock and ensuring it doesn’t run out of consoles before Christmas 2021?    

Amazon has been restocking PS5 consoles at two different times: during the 10 o’clock hour EDT and just after 3pm EDT. It feels like we’re overdue for a middle-of-the-night drop as one hasn’t happened since Amazon Prime Day in late June.

More PS5 retailers being tracked on Twitter

These are just five of the retailers in the US that we’re constantly tracking on Twitter when it comes to PS5 stock, but far from the full list. We’re also monitoring restock dates at Newegg, Costco, Antonline, and Sam’s Club. Sony PlayStation Direct, the official store for the PlayStation 5 brand, has suddenly been having more consoles in stock in recent weeks. And because it has a waiting room, we’re able to issue an alert at least 15 minutes in advance of its virtual queue opening, so no need to panic.

Where not buy PS5, according to our restock tracker

There are places in the US that you shouldn’t buy a PS5. Sears and QVC are offering “bundles” but the accessories they are charging hundreds of dollars for actually cost $35 at Target. When you break down the price, these often $1,100 bundles mean you’re paying more than $600 for those $35 in accessories, yet they splay out the accessories and even include gear like an HDMI and power cable like they’re perks.

Online stores like Silicon Nerd haven’t delivered consoles to any of our followers, so you shouldn’t buy there until further notice (and maybe try to get your money back). We’ll continue to update this list so you have the best chance to get a PS5 console before that looming October deadline to buy PS5.