The PS5 has been out for over a year now and gamers are still struggling to get their hands on Sony’s newest console. While stock issues have plagued the PS5 ever since it launched in 2020, restocks are getting much better.
The sad tale began in November 2020, when excited gamers tore open PS5 parcels that they had pre-ordered, only to find them replaced with cat food, a George Foreman grill and a bag of grain. Whenever more PS5s were made available, they were snapped up almost immediately, with scalpers leading the charge.
In November 2021, it was reported that Sony was revising down its production of consoles from 16 million to 15 million between April 2021 and March 2022. On the PS5’s first birthday, Sony’s CEO Jim Ryan gave gamers a quick update on the stock situation in a short blog post. “We continue to see historic demand for PS5 and we understand the inventory constraints remain a source of frustration for many of our customers,” Ryan wrote. “Rest assured that we are laser-focused on doing everything in our power to ship as many units as possible, it’s something we work on every day across the company and remains my top priority. Again, we appreciate your patience as we navigate through these unprecedented global challenges.”
The availability of the PS5 was expected to improve in mid-2022, thanks to the global shortage in semiconductors, partly caused by the increased demand for electronics over the last year, but it seems like things improved a lot earlier than that.
Since mid-April, gamers have been able to buy PS5 bundles fairly easily, with retailers like Game, BT, EE and Very having consoles consistently in stock for the last three months, so we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel now. But we are still seeing a shortage of digital edition consoles and standalone disc edition consoles, with retailers preferring to stock consoles in a bundle.
We’ve been predicting restocks for months now, and have seen patterns emerge among the major retailers. In the months ahead, Sony expects the situation to improve, and hopefully shelves will start filling up nicely. We’ll also be updating this page with our predictions regularly and whenever we hear exactly when retailers will be stocking up once again.
Where can you buy the PS5 right now?
As of 29 July, the PS5 is currently in stock at seven different retailers, including Game, Currys, Argos, Scan, EE, AO and the BT Shop. Amazon has also changed how customers buy the PS5 disc edition console from its website. You now need to sign up for an invitation. When you receive one, you’ll be given 72 hours to buy the console before it is released to someone else.
When will the PS5 restock in the UK?
Amazon
Amazon usually releases the PS5 disc edition before the PS5 digital edition, so be aware if you see one go live before the other. On 14 July 2021, Amazon made the console exclusively available to Prime members for the first time. It has only ever been available to buy if you’re a Prime customer ever since.
Then on 27 July 2022, Amazon switched over to a new invitation-only system for the PS5 disc edition console. Customers are encouraged to register with their Amazon account to receive an invitation and buy a console. If you receive an invitation, you have 72 hours to buy it before it is released to someone else.
Our top tips are:
Make sure to use Amazon Smile – a separate website that gives a portion of the cost of your purchase toward a chosen charity of your choice. Amazon Smile gets a lot less traffic than the regular Amazon website, so if there are issues, Smile should work better
Add the console to your wish list and then add it to your basket – apparently, people have found more success this way
AO
During previous drops at AO, customers have had to perform some coding gymnastics to secure the console. This isn’t necessary anymore, with demand for the console lower.
For posterity’s sake, here is what customers had to do to get the console into their basket. It takes a bit of effort, but many people have seen success using it when the console is live but showing “out of stock”. Note: This will only work when the PS5 product page is live on AO, and you’ll need to be using Google Chrome.
When the PS5 product page is live, copy the PS5’s product ID and save it somewhere safe.
Navigate to a random item on AO’s website. Right-click on the ‘Buy now’ button on the random item and click ‘Inspect element’.
In the element inspector, replace the product’s ID with the PS5’s product ID. Click ‘Buy now’.
You can test this out with any item on AO’s website if you want a bit of practice before the next drop. AO usually drops stock between 9am and 11am in the morning. It’s expected to only have bundles in stock this time round.
Argos
Argos is one of a handful of retailers that have started allowing people to walk into its stores and order a PS5 console right from one of its tablets, but this can only be done when stock becomes available during a restock. It usually makes the console available online for people to buy with click and collect, with home delivery being a rarity.
Drops used to occur in the dead of the night between 1am and 5am, and go live region by region, but that seems to have changed as the stock situation subsides. Stock can drop at any time of the day now.
Asda
The last drop at Asda took place on 26 April and stock sold out within minutes. This was the second time Asda sold a PS5 bundle, which included Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. Drops usually take place between 8am and 9am. Asda isn’t the easiest retailer to secure a console from, but we do have a few tips.
Make sure to have all your payment details saved ahead of time and that you’ve added the console to your wish list. Sometimes you aren’t able to check out from the main PS5 landing page, but you are able to check out from your wish list.
BT
Since October 2021, only BT Broadband customers have been able to buy the console from the retailer. The retailer restocked the PS5 on 25 May, and it has been in stock ever since.
You need an access code to buy the console. If you’re a BT Broadband customer, this can be found on your MyBT portal. Just log in, scroll down to the “Your Offers” section and click on the PS5.
You can also register your interest on the BT website. You’ll receive an email containing an access code that will take you directly to the order page where you can buy a PS5 when it goes live. It’s basically the same method as above, but with less steps. You’ll need your account details for both.
Currys
Currys used to use a PS5 VIP priority pass lottery to dish out its consoles in a fair way. Those selected would have five days to buy the console using a unique code, with redeemers receiving a call a few weeks later. The lottery ended at the start of June 2021, but people were still receiving codes up to the beginning of December 2021. Since then, general sale restocks have been happening frequently, with drops taking place several times a month and lasting days. This is usually because Currys stocks the most expensive bundles out of all the retailers.
EE
Only EE customers are able to buy a PS5 from the retailer, with eligible customers needing to be on a 12-month or longer contract. The network provider only sells the PS5 disc edition console (£40 a month for 11 months), but it also sells a bunch of different bundles.
Game
Game is one of the few retailers that have started selling consoles in-store, starting in June 2021. The retailer now runs a pre-order waiting list system. If you pop into your local Game, you can ask to be put on the list and you’ll get a call if you’ve been allocated a PS5.
The last time we checked, Game had the largest number of PS5 bundles out of all the retailers. The cheapest disc edition bundle came with a “Player1” T-shirt (£464.98, Game.co.uk). The most expensive disc bundle came with a dual sense controller and a pulse 3D gaming headset (£599.97, Game.co.uk).
At the start of June 2021, Game listed new Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart bundles on its website. A PS5 disc edition with a copy of Rift Apart cost £519.98 (Game.co.uk).
Game has pretty much had stock available online since mid-April 2022. The retailer added new Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West bundles on 10 March, with new digital edition bundles being added on 19 May. Game updates its PS5 bundles page with new release dates every few weeks, so it’s a good link to bookmark.
John Lewis & Partners
John Lewis & Partners restocks the console very infrequently, usually once every six to eight weeks. Restocks don’t tend to last very long, but they do always seem to drop between 7am and 8am in the morning. Restocks have been lasting longer since the retailer started bundling the console with other accessories and games, bumping up the price.
The retailer only appears to get a couple of thousand consoles or less each time new stock comes in, so we’re not expecting anything big the next time there’s a drop of the standalone console. When it happens, we recommend checking out via the app – people have seen more success through this method.
PlayStation Direct
On 10 November, The official Sony PlayStation Direct store launched in the UK for the first time. The website sells the console, accessories and more. The retailers’ first ever UK drop took place on 15 November at 10am.
Sony employs a queuing system, similar to most retailers, but it’s not first come first served, so everyone has a fair chance of securing the console no matter what time you entered the waiting room. The digital edition console usually sells out before the disc edition console.
Scan
Scan had one of the weirdest PS5 restocks we’ve ever seen on 10 September. It made a console bundle, which included a PS5 digital edition bundle with two dualsense controllers, a charging station and a pulse 3D wireless headset (£534.38, Scan.co.uk) available to buy through its live chat system. We first thought this was the new way retailers were trying to stop scalpers from stealing all the consoles, but Scan eventually went back to its normal restock pattern.
It waited more than seven months between that strange drop and its next one on 21 April 2022, when it released Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West bundles. Restocks now take place fairly frequently.
Smyths Toys
Smyths Toys usually has one or two restocks every month. Like Argos and Game, Smyths Toys has begun accepting in-store pre-orders. People are currently able to walk into their local Smyths Toys store and ask for a PS5, but only when a drop is taking place.
Smyths isn’t the easiest retailer to secure online stock from, with consoles usually being pick-up only. Its website doesn’t always show the PS5 as being in stock on the website either, with the retailer neglecting to update the product page.
Tesco
“Where the heck is the Tesco PS5 restock?” we hear you cry. The last time Tesco had a restock was on 15 March 2021. It’s been so long that PS5 stock trackers have stopped predicting Tesco drops altogether, since they never materialise.
The last rumoured date for a Tesco drop was 2 June 2021, with stock trackers claiming that it received a shipment in late May 2021. The retailer may potentially have a huge batch of consoles and is just waiting for the perfect time to release them. It’s the longest a single retailer has gone without a drop.
Very
Very is one of the most reliable retailers when it comes to PS5 stock drops. It has pretty much had stock available to buy since the start of May 2022, with Ratchet & Clank and Horizon Forbidden West bundles featuring widely.
Our top tip for Very is not to leave the queue when stock goes live, or you will have to queue up again. The same goes for refreshing the page – don’t do it, no matter how tempting it is to press that button! Stock usually drops between 9am and 10am in the morning.
How much is the PS5?
The PS5 disc edition costs £449.99, while the PS5 digital edition is cheaper at £349.99. The standard PS5 is the exact same price as the new Xbox series X. But the Xbox series s (the all-digital edition of the Xbox series X) is cheaper than the PS5 digital edition, costing just £249. It’s not a massively fair comparison, however, seeing as the Xbox series S is a lot worse spec-wise than the series X and the digital edition PS5.
If you want more information on the differences, you can read our comparison of the Xbox series x and PS5.
On 19 May, Sony released its first official PS5 bundle package, and it is now the console bundle that most retailers opt for when they restock the next-gen machine. It comes with Horizon Forbidden West, and costs either £409.99 for the digital edition console or £499.99 for the disc edition console.
When was the PS5 released?
The PS5 was released on 19 November 2020 in the UK and sold out instantly. Some of the people who pre-ordered the console on Amazon found themselves greeted with not a shiny new PS5, but a bag of grain, a grill or some cat food instead. Despite being out for more than a year now, the PS5 is still extremely difficult to find.
Can you play PS4 games on the PS5 and is the PS5 backwards compatible?
You sure can! The overwhelming majority of the PS4 games you own are playable on the PS5. You’ll be able to download any games you bought through the PlayStation store on your PS4 and play them on the next-gen console.
If you’ve got the disc edition of the PS5, you’ll also be able to insert your PS4 discs into it and play them that way, too. Obviously, because there’s no physical disc slot on the digital edition of the console, you won’t be able to play any PS4 discs you own. We’ve compiled a list of our favourite PS4 games, and most of them have dropped in price since the PS5 came out.
Best PS5 accessories
Whether you’re still waiting for your chance to get your hands on a PS5, or you managed to get one in a recent drop, we’ve tested and reviewed everything from the best wireless gaming headsets to the best gaming keyboards. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourites below.
