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

Update: Miss the PS5 restock today? You aren’t alone and your best chance to buy it will come if you follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider – follow and turn on notifications. Matt tweets alerts when the PS5 is in stock in the US, so as soon as Best Buy, Target, GameStop and Walmart have a PlayStation 5 restock, you’ll get a notification. And the good news is Thursday is the most popular restock day of the week, so we’re tracking all stores, especially Walmart, for tomorrow, October 14.

Matt Swider has helped 90,000 people buy a next-gen console via Twitter alerts:

Here’s a prime example of what these crucial PS5 restock alerts look like:

Sony Direct PS5 restock today – if you have the email

There was a Sony Direct PS5 console restock today at 2pm EDT, if you had the Sony Direct email invite to the exclusive PlayStation 5 restock. Sometimes this official store of the PlayStation brand does open up a second virtual queue at either 5pm EDT or 6pm EDT (it’s been later over the course of the last month). It didn’t happen this time, however.

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.

Get our emails for critical walkthroughs of PS5 restock events:

Target PS5 restock today? Kind of

That small PS5 restock today didn’t amount to much as the retailer didn’t have its usual nationwide restock this morning, October 13. Instead, of a few thousand PS5 consoles for sale, a few hundred PS5 Disc consoles were for sale for $499. This same thing happened on August 10.

It seems as if the New York and New Jersey area were completely shut down, according to our 24/7 PlayStation 5 restock tracking, so you might not have seen it in your area whatsoever. Like other Target PS5 restock dates, today’s mini stock refresh was available for in-store pickup only and it wasn’t shipping to homes.

The PS5 restock at Best Buy this week was a bust

Technically, there was a PS5 restock on Monday at Best Buy, and PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider did send out a tweet. But it wasn’t a siren-filled alert for this reason: Best Buy is making it harder to get the console without jumping through expensive hoops.

Today’s hoops involved paying $199 for the Best Buy Totaltech membership before you could even think about purchasing a $499 PS5 Disc console. According to a recent Best Buy press release, this membership includes free Geek Squad tech support, 24 months of product protection on most Best Buy purchases during active membership (including AppleCare Plus on Apple products), and an extended 60-day return and exchange window on most products.

Is that $199 premium worth it for a $499 PS5 console? It’s not something everyone will use unless you exclusively shop at Best Buy, though we do applaud the fact that you get free Geek Squad tech support on every gadget in your home, not just the ones purchased from Best Buy. Actual hardware repairs will still cost you.

So we’re not counting this as a major restock that everyone can access. But it’s one to be aware of when the next Best Buy PS5 restock happens. And double-check – you may have Best Buy Totaltech already – some people have Totaltech from a year ago when they bought TVs or other large appliances on Black Friday last year.

73 days to find PS5 in stock for Christmas

Christmas Day is 73 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 dates news for Wednesday, October 13

The good news is that because we didn’t see PS5 in stock last week, we should see most if not all major retailers in the US launch inventory this week or two. GameStop is due for a restock, while Best Buy often does online restocks of the console on a semi-weekly basis and Target has cornered the market for Friday restocks (although today’s mini restock throws that off). Amazon could be on or around October 21, 2021.

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 restock ‘news’ to get your hopes up, but Matt Swider has gained the trust of over 969,000 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.

Best Buy PS5 restock: a better process than before

• Last members-only Best Buy 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 restocked on Monday, but it was tied to its Totaltech membership that has people paying $199. Some consumers did get a free year-long membership last year with TV or appliance purchases from Best Buy, while others ponied up the fee with the intention of canceling the membership after getting their PS5 console (we’ll see if that actually works out for them).

We did say Best Buy will pivot between online and in-store restocks, and Friday two weeks ago was proof of our reporting. The Best Buy PS5 restock happened online last Friday, October 1 at 1:14pm EDT, with both PS5 Disc and PS5 Digital Editions in stock. Many of Matt Swider’s followers were able to get the PS5 console.

This was the first time Best Buy used its new ‘verify system’ for a PS5 restock (it first used the enhanced checkout system earlier this for the Xbox Series X). One week prior, Best Buy had an in-store restock on September 23, 2021 (the first of any major retailer in 2021), after it failed to have the console online for more than a month. It was odd because Best Buy stocked the PlayStation 5 almost weekly before that, so clearly it was changing up its strategy.

What we got right: This doesn’t mean the retailer will continue to have in-store restocks of the PS5 from here on out. It may do what it does with the GPU restocks: alternating between online restocks through its website and in-store restocks on select Thursday mornings. In fact, we saw an Xbox Series X restock on Monday, September 27, so there’s some precedent for online console restock dates to continue.

Best Buy restock time online: The date is harder 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

Update: Target PS5 restock inventory is trickling into stores. We don’t know if it’ll have stock this Friday or next Friday, as inventory count as of last reporting (October 10) is on the low side, according to our sources in the retail space.

Target usually waits three weeks to offer PS5 for sale, and the last restock date was October 1. This Friday will mark two weeks since it was ins tock last, though it was a smaller restock than most Target cycles, and we know that thanks to Target employees around the country sending us photos. It was enough for a small PS5 drop, with about 20 PS5 Disc consoles per store.

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. The latest restock for Friday, October 1 was 7:49am 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.

GameStop PS5 restock dates are your best chance

• Next GameStop PS5 restock date for 2021: In the coming days (maybe next week)
• First in-store GameStop PS5 restock date for 2021: Thursday, September 30 at opening
• Last online GameStop PS5 restock date: Tuesday, September 28 at 11am EDT
• How to buy PS5 from GameStop: Follow PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider

The next GameStop PS5 restock date is likely to be soon – and a lot of times has a restock on Tuesdays. Why soon? The video game retailer has become the most frequent source of PlayStation 5 console sales in the second half of 2021. Sony Direct still wins when it comes to consoles at MSRP, but GameStop is right there with PS5 bundles in which everything is at face value.  

We have yet to see a GameStop PS5 restock in October 2021. The last time PS5 was in stock at the video game retailer was in stores on Thursday, September 30, giving people a chance to buy PS5 consoles bundled with a game and waiting in line on Thursday morning (or even earlier). They had a chance to buy the console after spending $705 (everything is at MSRP if you add up the extras included).

However, GameStop isn’t giving up on online restocks. It sold four PS5 bundles through its website: two PS5 Disc bundles and two PS5 Digital bundles. Again, these included extras and you needed to be a PowerUp Pro Rewards member ($15 a year), but that cuts down on resellers scooping up the PS5 for MSRP and profiting off of the very console you’re trying to buy.

Amazon PS5 restock date: October 21?

The Amazon PS5 restock dates has become easier to predict not 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

Update: So far no Walmart PS5 restock today, but we’re staying vigilant in check with our sources on when Walmart will restock next.

Will there be a Walmart PS5 restock this week? We’re always checking with our sources (we usually know a little bit in advance), 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 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. That’s why we giving Walmart a 50/50 shot every Thursday, and we know it’s usually at specific times: 12pm EDT, 3pm EDT or 9pm EDT.

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, and today proved just that – the fifth Target PS5 restock on a Friday in a row. 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.

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).

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Sony Direct PS5 restocks happening more often

Sony PlayStation Direct is changing things up, with a PS5 restock dates happening more often, both with email invites to select (randomly picked PSN users) and wider virtual queues where anyone with a PSN account has a chance to buy the PS5.

It’s still difficult to get beyond ‘more than an hour wait’ time, but as more and more people get their Sony PS5 console of choice (they’re both on sale for MSRP through Sony Direct, thankfully), it’ll get easier.

We’ll continue to send out PS5 restock alerts from Sony Direct since they’ve been among the most successful. This Sony company must know someone who makes PS5.

Antonline PS5 restock – one next-gen bundle a week

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.