PS5 restock tracker for GameStop, Best Buy and Target dates – where to buy PS5 next PS5 console on yellow background

PS5 restock update for Saturday: You’ll be able to buy PS5 next week, according to our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider, who will send you the next PlayStation 5 restock alert – if you follow his Twitter account and turn on notifications. Matt has been reporting on Sony PlayStation 5 console restock news for months, tracking US stores like GameStop, Best Buy, Target and Walmart and helping 80,000 people get a next-gen console. Matt will send you an alert when the PS5 is in stock and also does Xbox Series X restock alerts. TechRadar doesn’t expect a restock for either console today, September 11, 2021 (it’s rare on weekends), but GameStop has shown signs of amassing inventory, according to our exclusive sources, and the restock date and time may be early next week. That would make up for the fact that only Sony Direct and Target had the console for sale this past week. 

Here’s how to know when the next PS5 restock will happen:

PS5 restock news for September 11 and next week

Next PS5 restock may happen at GameStop early next week, as we’ve been told that the retailer is receiving Sony consoles that should be for sale soon. Yes, they will be sold in pre-orders and GameStop requires a $15 a year membership. But it’s become one of the easiest retailers in the US to buy a PlayStation 5 from because this deters resellers when it’s not at the MSRP of $499 for PS5 Disc and $399 for PS5 Digital.  

Right now, in 2021, it’s nearly impossible to buy the PS5 because of a global chip shortage. But because we have hardly seen the console in stock at stores in the US over the past two weeks, the thinking is that we’re due for another restock at online retailer websites for Best Buy (it’s been 30 days) and Walmart (almost two weeks).

GameStop prepping bundles

GameStop is your best chance to buy a PS5 in 2021 simply because it offers bundles and has a barrier to entry through its GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro membership that costs $15. Some people dislike this approach, but it rewards real gamers and has nearly stopped resellers – it’s hard for them to profit off of specific PS5 games on the open market when those games are readily available at MSRP.

Matt Swider usually gets confirmation of a GameStop PS5 restock date ahead of the official announcement and he shares that information on Twitter. We haven’t gotten that information just yet, but we do know that the retailer is prepping bundles for a restock that’s likely to be early next week.

Target PS5 restocks every few weeks on a Friday

Update: The Target PS5 restock was this past Friday at 7:37am EDT, and if you missed it, you’re not alone. It was a small inventory drop, and only a few of our followers got it, as you’re buying online, but selecting a local store when making the purchase for a later in-store pickup.

Target PS5 restock time: While Target has shifted its PlayStation 5 restock day of the week previously, the time is consistent: in 2021, it’s always been 7am EDT to 8am EDT, with one exception: last week was a little outside that window at 8:14am EDT. Don’t pass up PS5 Disc, which is almost always in stock first for PS5 Digital, which often goes in stock second, as PS5 Digital stock is extremely low.

Sony Direct PS5 restock surprised everyone

Update: The Sony Direct PS5 restock is finished, and while it was filled with glitches at first and not everyone could get into the waiting room, enough people got the console to call it a success during a dire month for the Sony system.

Sony Direct has had a PS5 restock twice a month for the last few months, and we’re always tipped off by Matt’s Twitter followers, a handful of whom receive the coveted Sony Direct email invite one day in advance of a ‘virtual queue.’ What’s that? It’s a lottery system that randomly selects people so that can more fairly buy the console.

There are often two virtual queues that exist, one for people who receive that Sony Direct email invite (it’s randomized among PSN users and the queue starts at 3pm EDT, so check your inbox for the email invite), and one that sometimes opens up at 5pm EDT for everyone else if there are planned leftovers (and it’s of course much harder to be successful in the later PlayStation Direct virtual queue).

Best Buy restock date: it’s been 30 days

Best Buy hasn’t had the Sony PS5 for sale since August 12, 2021, which, at the time of publication, is 30 days ago. This is actually typical of the Best Buy restock pattern, according to our PS5 restock Twitter tracker. It does back-to-back PS5 restocks almost every week, fooling people into thinking the console is available weekly, then it takes about one month off. We didn’t see a restock during all of April 2021.

Best Buy restock time: 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.

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.

Walmart PS5 restock – often Thursdays

Will the PS5 restock at Walmart this upcoming 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 October 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 October like it did in August (a two-month gap), by the time October 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’re giving Walmart a 50/50 shot for today, and we know it’s usually at specific times: 12pm EDT, 3pm EDT or 9pm EDT (the latter time only if there are leftovers).