You can't find PS5 pre-orders and Sony knows it. That's why the company is offering an apology over the weekend as well as hope that more PS5 pre-orders are coming.
"Over the next few days," Sony tweeted on Saturday, "we will release more PS5 consoles for preorder – retailers will share more details."
In other words, it's a good idea to constantly check retailer websites for PS5 pre-orders, including Walmart, Amazon, Target and Curry's, to name a few. Currently, a lot of these stores say out of stock but, at any moment, these stores could flip the switch to display the green "in stock" message. We've seen it all week.
- Follow our Xbox Series X pre-order and Xbox Series S pre-order guides, and we'll help you find a console where you are.
- Will you be able to buy PS5 at launch?
PS5 pre-order strategy shifts at retailers
Demand for PS5 pre-orders has been overwhelming, according to US retailers that TechRadar reached out to. It has led to shifting plans both online and in stores.
"Due to the incredible interest we received from the online pre-order, Walmart has decided not to proceed with the planned store pre-order to control store traffic and keep our customers safe and socially distanced," according to a Walmart spokesperson that TechRadar talked to on Thursday.
When the PS5 price and release date were announced on Wednesday, some retailers didn't hold back on starting PlayStation 5 pre-orders. At random times, orders for the new Sony consoles started and were gone within minutes.
To further add to the confusion, Walmart PS5 pre-orders turned on and turned off several times, as the largest US retailer released inventory sporadically. On Thursday night, we saw these pre-orders gone within seconds of an impromptu announcement an hour before orders went live.
Tips to find 🎮PS5 pre-orders this week1. Follow @mattswider (I need one too/will tweet)2. Bookmark this TechRadar page https://t.co/lgl9KRXFRq3. Log into Amazon/Walmart/etc & ensure your billing info is updated. Orders go in seconds4. Some say out of stock – keep refreshingSeptember 19, 2020
Botched PS5 pre-order causes Sony to apologize
Sony also took time to apologize in its weekend message, saying, "Let’s be honest: PS5 preorders could have been a lot smoother. We truly apologize for that."
This rare admission is something we're starting to see from more tech companies, including Nvidia when the Nvidia RTX 3080, its brand new GPU, sold out in minutes the same week that we got PS5 pre-orders.
Microsoft, for its part, is determined not to get its Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S pre-orders wrong after seeing how Sony has botched its rollout. The pre-orders for the PS5 rival go live on Tuesday, September 22 at 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm BST.
The PS5 won't launch until Thursday, November 12 (or Thursday, November 19 in some locations, including the UK), but grabbing a PS5 pre-order now may be your one chance to own the console before Black Friday 2020 and maybe until 2021.
Stay tuned for more PS5 pre-order updates, as we will continue to seek comment from retailers on availability of the new Sony console.
- I'm buying the pricier PS5 to save money long-term – here's my secret
- Black Friday PS5 deals: could there be savings in November?
