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PS5 restock date analysis: when Best Buy, Walmart and GameStop will be in stock again

When will PS5 restock again at Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, Target and other retail stores in the US? Next week – not this weekend – is when we're likely to see a fresh set of restock dates for the Sony console, according to our own PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider. He's helped nearly 20,000 people buy the PlayStation 5 console, but the supply of next-gen systems has made for a 'dire' situation in the last month, according to his American retail sources. The good news is that Matt will send you an alert as soon as a PS5 restock happens in the US – that is, if you follow his Twitter account and turn on notifications.

  • Get it ASAP: Follow @mattswider our PS5 restock Twitter tracker for notifications about when the next PS5 restock is live. It's the fastest way to get real-time updates.
  • Do not buy from other Twitter users – which are all scams. Only buy from the websites Matt points you to. No one is looking to eagerly sell a console for just $550.
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When will PS5 restock again?

The next PS5 restock date may rest with Target and GameStop in the new week, as both Best Buy and Walmart teamed up to launch their PS5 inventory on Thursday. We often see a Best Buy PS5 restock on Friday, but enough people got the console on Thursday, according to Matt Swider's Twitter replies.

We usually get advance notice of a Target PS5 restock, both from our sources, who check inventory levels at stores, and the ironclad corporate sources of leaker Jake Randall. We remain in the dark about the next Amazon PS5 restock, even if we had good sources checking inventory levels for us at one time.

We're certain when Antonline will restock again: in the new week. It has a next-gen console drop every week (though it's sometimes an Xbox Series X instead of a PS5), and we're overdue to see the PS5 sold at Sony Direct, Newegg, and Costco. PS5 hasn't been in the Newegg Shuffle for over a week now. Sam's Club is said to lack PS5 consoles to sell at the moment, so no surprise 1am EDT restocks are in store.

Best Buy PS5 restock date

  • Next PS5 Best Buy restock date: Too soon to tell
  • Last Best Buy restock date: Thursday, May 6 at 3:49pm
  • How to buy PS5 from Best Buy: Best Buy PS5 Disc | Best Buy PS5 Digital
  • How long does it take to get it?: Online orders, in-store pick up 3-5 days later 

That next Best Buy PS5 restock date has become harder to pin down simply because the retailer switched up its drop time by a few hours, launching orders on Thursday, May 6 instead of the usual Friday time frame. So while we were pleased to see Best Buy end its six weeks of not selling any next-gen console, it does mean it can drop at any time. Our Best Buy warehouse sources can only check inventory so many times.

We do know that Best Buy likes to open its orders at the end of the week in order to process and ship them in the new week (specifically on Mondays we're told), and we often see the console ins tock between 12pm to 4pm EDT, almost as a courtesy to ensure the West coast of the US has a chance to buy it while fully awake.

Here's our Best Buy PS5 restock tracker alert from Thursday, May 6:

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Walmart PS5 restock date

  • Next Walmart PS5 restock date? Maybe next week¸ Thursday, May 13
  • Last Walmart date? Thursday, May 6 at 3:30pm EDT
  • Link for when it's in stock: Walmart PS5 Disc | Walmart PS5 Digital
  • Wait time: One week to one month, according to our followers

Every week we check with Walmart officials about a massive PS5 restock and every time for the last seven weeks we've gotten the same response: not this week. We did see a small restock this week (on Thursday, May 6) as well as a small PS5 drop last month (Thursday, April 15), but both were over within about 20 minutes. We're eager to see another two-hour restock marathon split into 12 different waves so everyone gets a chance.

Matt Swider often knows about any big Walmart PS5 restock ahead of time with an official Walmart press release that goes out three hours in advance. He'll also tweet out if there's not one happening – though as we've seen these small PS5 drops can happen without press release fanfare.

Here's the last massive Walmart PS5 restock on March 18: 

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Target PS5 restock date

The next Target PS5 restock date could be Wednesday, May 12, although we don't have official confirmation about this. Not even Target headquarters may know just yet. We often have the restock date verified by Monday evenings with the help of the sources of YouTuber Jake Randall. It all depends on whether or not there's enough inventory at Target stores in the US.

When the Target PS5 restock date does roll around, the time usually falls between 7am and 9am EDT, with the most consistent PS5 drop time being around 7:40am EDT. This is a brutal time for people on the West coast, when it's 4:40am EDT, but there's also less competition at that hour. While this is an online-only purchase, you can pick up the PS5 in-store the same day and you have to select a local store. That means fewer people are awake in California than in New York. It also makes it harder for bots and resellers to claim consoles.

Here's what our Target PS5 restock alert looked like last time (April 28 example shown):

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Antonline PS5 restock date

There was a limited Antonline PS5 Digital restock May 6, and another that happened on April 24, but both instances of bundles sold out immediately – within seconds. This US store promises weekly next-gen console drops (sometimes it's for an Xbox Series X restock), so there's hope for more in the new week. All of the Antonline restocks come in the form of game-and-accessory-loaded bundles. This means the price is higher, but it's easy to snag the console that way.

Important: Antonline sells out of PS5 in three minutes or less, but when PS5 is on sale at this retailer, there are no waves or in-stock/out-of-stock funny business with the add-to-cart button. And this American retailer ships fast. Basically, it's the opposite of a Walmart PS5 restock.

Here's what our Antonline restock alerts look like:

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GameStop PS5 bundle restock date

The next GameStop PS5 restock date could be early next week. Why? Because we usually have a one-week to one-and-a-half-week wait for a GameStop PS5 drop consisting of bundles. The last PS5 restock date was April 28 in the afternoon (just after the Target PS5 restock), with a 45-minute wave of new Sony PS5 Disc and Digital Edition bundle stock (a lot of people got it, so this is where to buy PS5 if you want to get it easily).

GameStop ships PS5 consoles quickly, in about four to six days, and while it forces you to buy a bundle, this restock strategy deters resellers from snapping up all of the inventory. This is your best chance to buy PS5 among major retailers.

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Costco PS5 restock date

  • Next PS5 restock date: Happens randomly on weekdays
  • Last restock date: Thursday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 20. Before that March 9 before that (so long gaps)
  • When it's in stock: Costco PS5 bundle
  • Wait time: Online orders, average one week for shipping  
  • Follow our Twitter tracker to get alerts

The next Costco PS5 restock is something no one can predict, but it usually happens once a month – and it's only for Costco members every time yet still sells out in about four minutes, according to Matt Swider. That really tells you how strong the demand is for PS5. It often has reasonably priced PS5 bundles, so it's no wonder it sells out so quickly. The glimmer of a PS5 restock on Thursday, April 22 didn't last long enough to purchase for many consumers – the theory was that a few PS5 consoles from the prior restock two days before that were up for grabs. 

We're now tracking the next Costco PS5 restock for May, although for this one it's anyone's guess as to when it'll happen. We'll tweet out the moment it comes online.

Here's what our Costco PS5 restock alert looked like last time (April 22):

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Amazon PS5 restock

  • Next Amazon PS5 restock date: Truly random – between 15 and 52 days in the past
  • Last Amazon PS5 restock date: Saturday, April 24 at 3:15am EDT
  • When it's in stock: Amazon PS5 Disc | Amazon PS5 Digital
  • Wait time: Online orders, obviously, ship fast unless backordered
  • Get alerts: Follow our Twitter tracker

The next Amazon PS5 restock is unpredictable simply because the online retailer has waited anywhere from 15 days to 52 days to restock the Sony console. Today, May 5, it's been 14 days since the last Amazon restock. We saw a surprise restock Saturday, April 24 at 3:15am, according to the many Twitter replies received by PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider. It seems like thousands of people were finally able to buy PS5, but console inventory numbers are unknown.

While we don't know when the next Amazon PS5 restock date will be, it could drive major hype to the Amazon Prime Day date that's confirmed to be happening in June. That would be a clever way to draw attention to the sales marathon. If it's a stretch and Amazon can't wait that long, maybe it'll go live with another PS5 drop when it announces the specific Amazon Prime Day date, theorizes Matt Swider.

PS5 restock

(Image credit: Matt Swider)

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Sony Direct PS5 restock date

It's been nearly three weeks since the last Sony Direct PS5 restock date and while we find Sony's official store for its PlayStation brand to be very fair with its virtual queue lottery system, it's become rather unpredictable to nail down when it'll happen. So we're tracking Sony Direct during weekdays – and have a heightened awareness of PS5 drops for afternoon times. Look out for our Twitter tracker alert when Sony Direct decides to restock PS5 again.

Here's what our Sony Direct PS5 restock alert looked (April 20 example shown):

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Sam's Club PS5 restock

Sam's Club is overdue for a PS5 restock – the last time was a surprise at 1am EDT on March 23. We saw nothing in April, and so far May has been dry for Sam's Club. That off-putting 1am EDT time did make it stay in stock way longer than normal: a whole four minutes. That's a lifetime in the console restock world. 

Sam's Club did refresh its website to include a new PS5 bundle (it remains in an out-of-stock status), so we're curious about when that will come back in stock. Unlike Best Buy and Walmart, Sam's Club doesn't do frequent restocks or stick to a time schedule. So it's important to follow our PS5 restock tracker for this store. While you don't have to be a member of Sam's Club to buy PS5, you will get charged a fee or need to use a temporary membership to purchase the Sony console.

Here's what our Sam's Club PS5 restock alert looked like last time (March 23):

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That's our full PS5 restock update, although we'll continually be refreshing this page with new restock dates and times, especially as stores like Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon become increasingly unpredictable, as they have all demonstrated recently.

That's why we're advocates for hopping on Twitter and following Matt Swider for PS5 restock alerts. While these pages update quickly, every minute counts and those Twitter push notifications can give you the edge you're looking for in 2021.



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