Trust and credibility
PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider has helped 63,000 people in the US buy a next-gen console in 2021 with his tireless 24/7 tracking, in-stock Twitter alerts and exclusive restock reporting.
Sony sold over 10 million PS5 consoles as of today, according to the latest official sales figures announced this week. But this news doesn’t tell the whole story and how to buy the PlayStation 5 console if you’re struggling.
If you’re having trouble finding PS5 in stock, we have our 24/7 PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider, who will send you an alert – if you follow his Twitter account and turn on notifications. But we also have advice on what’s been preventing many of the followers from getting the console in the first place.
Here are five proven ways to overcome the “shortage” of PS5 consoles that’s leaving you feel shorted – even though Sony called this its “fastest-selling console to date.” You’ll still need expert advice, and we have that, along with expanded details below.
Quick PS5 sales advice at a glance
When will PS5 be for sale? Follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider and turn on notifications for restock alerts. It’s the fastest way to get updates.Subscribe to live coaching on YouTube: Our PS5 restock live stream videos are helping people check out of retail stores in the US. They’re all different and we’re coaching you through so you can join those 10 million PS5 units sold.Stop trying to buy PS5 Digital: Seriously stop trying to save $100 on a console that will cost you more money in the long run (Disc games get cheaper faster) because Sony isn’t making the PS5 Digital version nearly enough. Give in and get a PS5 bundle: standalone consoles are targeted by resellers, who can easily turn a profit off of a $499 PS5 Disc console. People refusing bundles are often the ones who have to wait the longest, but it’s fine if everything includes is at face value. Don’t buy from other Twitter users: they’re all scams. Only buy from the US stores Matt alerts you about. No one will sell a PS5 for just $550.
1. Follow PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider
This is an easy one. Matt sends out these console restock alerts every time the PS5 is in stock in the US. His exclusive reporting on the GameStop PS5 restock led to around 800 people finally getting the Sony console through his alerts.
Directions: Click on this image of an example of this Best Buy PS5 restock alert from Matt Swider and turn on notifications (that little bell icon) for instant alerts.
2. Get our live PS5 stock coaching through YouTube
So we’ve recently expanded our advice from simply sending out alerts on Twitter (we still do that) and breaking news here on TechRadar, to live coaching people on how to check out of the various US retailers via YouTube.
These YouTube PS5 restock live streams have helped walk people through the step-by-step process of buying a PS5. You need an edge if you’re going to join the group of Sony fans who are part of its 10 million PS5 units sold.
Click on the image to subscribe to our YouTube PS5 restock tips and tricks.
GameStop is different from Best Buy, and the checkout process at Walmart is a mess all on its own. Target, which offers online purchases for same-day in-store pickup is the easiest to buy from if you listen to our advice or ask the right questions in the live chat. And you can do exactly that in a PS5 restock live stream.
3. Stop trying to buy PS5 Digital – stick with Disc
PS5 Digital Edition is tempting, and we get it. It costs $100 less than PS5 Disc and who needs a disc drive in 2021, many people will ask. What Sony hasn’t disclosed is how many of the 10 million PS5 consoles were PS5 Digital. Our guess? Not even close to half. Probably a lot less than PS5 Disc.
When American retail stores like Best Buy, Target and Walmart stock the PS5, they always have more PS5 Disc inventory than Digital; the latter runs out almost instantly. And we’ve also seen real inventory numbers showing this extreme. Target, right before one recent PS5 restock, had 40 PS5 Disc consoles and one single PS5 Digital in several store locations in the United States. Sure enough, PS5 Digital was a flash of a restock the next day While many people got PS5 Disc.
It’s more than the 40:1 lopsidedness of PS5 Disc vs PS5 Digital. We also offer advice showing that PS5 Disc will save you more money in the long run. Disc games get far cheaper faster than their digital counterparts where Sony is the gatekeeper of the online PlayStation Store. Competition and used games are what make PS5 Disc a far better – and cheaper – option in the long run in addition to increased availability.
4. Give in and get a PS5 bundle
“But I don’t want those games,” said a Matt Swider follower when he complained how impossible it was to buy a PS5 and he’s been trying for months. After a five–minute conversation, Matt shot back, “Well, the PS5 GameStop restocks are bundles and they’re easier to get… if you really want it.”
The follower was aghast, “Did you just say if I really want it?!” (Note: the games were Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart, Spidee-Man: Miles Morales, and Sackboy – not a bad lineup and some GameStop employees will let you exchange a bundled game for another game).
It’s true though. PS5 bundles are easier to buy than the standalone consoles simply because resellers and bots scoop up the inventory before real customers are able to check out. GameStop and Antonline sell bundles, and they sell out in about three minutes (when the retailers don’t play funny business with the sometimes working add-to-cart button).
We’ve seen resellers in line at Best Buy buying RTX graphics cards, including the coveted RTX 3080, asking us “Is this the good one?” No one in that line got the RTX 3080 for gaming. Everyone who did buy it was trying to turn a profit. That’s exactly what’s happening online – at Best Buy and Walmart especially – when there are no bundles. GameStop has even limited “early access” to restocks to its paid PowerUp members, and in a way, that’s a good thing.
Don’t fall for PS5 scams
PlayStation 5 scams are are everywhere these days and it’s preventing people from buying a PS5 due to the fact that they just sent all of their money to an overseas scammer.
These PS5 scammers are ruthless, too: they’ll change their name and profile picture to match the official PlayStation brand and logo, they eagerly reach out to victims only charging $550 for the “one extra” that they happen to have, and they’ll even go as far as sending the victim a photo or video of “their console” right before the purchase – even writing the victim’s name on a piece of paper to prove it’s not a stock photo.
And people fall for it – daily. Matt gets 100 messages a day asking if these accounts, some of which are verified hacked accounts – are legit. Twitter has done little to stop it. In all cases, the answer is no. If stores like Best Buy don’t have PS5 stock for more than a few minutes, no one is going to sell you a console through CashApp for just $550. Think about it.
