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PS5 restock tracker Matt Swider has helped 59,000 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.
Update: The Walmart PS5 restock today is expected, but not guaranteed to happen. The latest PS5 news looks promising, though.
To better your odds, our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider will send you an alert when the PlayStation 5 is in stock – if you follow his account and turn on notifications. 59,000 people have gotten a PS5 Disc or PS5 Digital Edition through Matt’s alerts and exclusive reporting.
The latest sign Walmart is preparing PS5 consoles is that the Walmart PS5 Disc version shows ‘out of stock’ at $499 on some browsers (though others still show third-party resellers with prices as high as $939). The Walmart PS5 restock time is 3pm EDT normally and often Matt gets a heads-up whether or not there will be a PS5 restock. Walmart favors Thursday PS5 drops and we haven’t seen Walmart have PS5 in stock in over a month. It’s overdue to offer both the $499 PS5 Disc. We’re also tracking other stores in the US today, including Best Buy and Target, though neither is expected to have a PS5 restock date just yet. There’s definitely not going to be an Amazon PS5 restock date. All eyes are on Walmart.
► When? Follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider and turn on notifications for restock news. It’s the fastest way to get PS5 restock updates.
► Don’t buy from other Twitter users – ever. They’re all scams. Only buy from the US stores Matt alerts you about. No one will legitimate sell a PS5 for just $550.
Directions: Click on this image of an example of a PS5 restock alert from Matt Swider and turn on notifications (that little bell icon) for instant alerts.
Walmart PS5 restock: today is the likeliest day
- Next Walmart PS5 restock date: could be today, Thursday, July 22 at 3pm EDT
- Pattern: Almost always a Thursday – but not every Thursday
- Last minor Walmart PS5 restock date: Thursday, July 1 at 3pm EDT
- Last major Walmart PS5 restock date: Thursday, June 17 at 3pm EDT
- How to buy PS5 from Walmart: Follow our PS5 restock tracker account
It’s been over a month since the last major PS5 restock at Walmart, and while it often has the most inventory, it’s also one of the most popular stores in the US. Meaning everyone is trying to buy the PS5 console at the same time mid-afternoon.
Today, July 22, could be the next chance to buy the PS5 from Walmart, and the usual restock time is in play: 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT, according to the unwavering Walmart pattern in 2021. Walmart ran out of $399 PS5 Digital consoles during its last major restock and, after that PS5 restock disaster, turned it into a net positive for consumers who got upgraded to the $499 PS5 Disc version for free.
Walmart does take a long time to ship PS5 consoles to some people, but that’s why we’re a little more confident in a restock happening today: most people who bought the PS5 last month have finally gotten their delayed PS5 Disc model from Walmart in the mail. Walmart may be ready for another round of PS5 restocks later today.
Will Best Buy restock this week?
- Last Best Buy PS5 restock date: Wednesday, July 14 at 2:47pm EDT
- Pattern: Random. It does weekly restocks but then, after a couple of back-to-back cycles, takes off several weeks a time
- How to buy PS5 from Best Buy: Follow our PS5 restock tracker account
Best Buy makes it difficult to buy the PS5 for multiple reasons. First, its restock date and time hasn’t been consistent like Walmart and it doesn’t send us a heads-up as to when it’ll restock. Often we have to rely on inside sources, who know when inventory comes into their regional warehouses but don’t control the add-to-cart button.
It may be an effort to thwart bots, but the truth is that bots are able to automatically check out more easily than everyone else (opening up multiple tabs and determining which page will get through the add-to-cart button queue the fastest). In your area, it may make buying PS5 impossible, as consoles need to be picked up in person three to five days later, so you have to select a local Best Buy store.
We’ll update you on Best Buy PS5 restock news when we know for a fact it’ll be ready to release the Sony console – and you may have a chance to buy it.
Target likely needs more time before a PS5 restock
- Next Target PS5 restock: Probably next week
- Last Target PS5 restock: July 19 at 3pm EDT
- Pattern: Between 7am and 8am, usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays
- How to buy PS5 from Target: Follow our PS5 restock tracker account
The last we checked with our sources at Target, there were just three PS5 consoles in the back room of stores. These individual stores can’t sell their PS5 inventory until there’s enough stock of the PlayStation 5 consoles to facilitate a nationwide PS5 restock. Everything happens online (you can’t go to the store to buy it), but you do have to select in-store pickup (Target doesn’t ship the PS5 at this time).
The target PS5 restock time has consistently been anywhere fro 7am EDT to 8am EDT in the US, with the most popular time having been 7:40am EDT. Recently, it’s happened a bit earlier (7:07 am EDT), so be sure to check starting at 7am EDT – when we think there’s a restock. That’s very early if you’re in, say, California, where that time would be 4:40am PDT. But Target does this because it wants to finish the PS5 restock before its stores open for business that same day.
Like Walmart, we often see Target stick to a day of the week pattern: the PS5 has consistently been sold out a Wednesday or Thursday in 2021 – with the exception that one Friday in which it was a short week pushing everything back (due to the 4th of July holiday earlier in the week).
Amazon PS5 restock: don’t expect it in stock soon
Amazon just had the PS5 in stock yesterday, July 21, and that means we probably won’t see a restock there until late August. There’s a consistent monthly pattern to Amazon in 2021: it’s always a random weekday once a month and shifts between daytime and nighttime. Since this last restock happened during the day, we could see another midnight or 3am EDT PS5 restock from Amazon next month.
Something to note: Amazon only had the $499 PS5 Disc console in stock this week, and there seems to be a pattern there too; only half of the time does Amazon offer the opportunity to buy the $399 PS5 Digital console. The same can be said about the Walmart PS5 restock events, though the PS5 Digital Edition is on sale more.
We’ll tweet out advice on how to secure the console when there’s a restock at this US store. This is usually in a follow-up tweet (as seen below) right after the PS5 restock Twitter alert we send out immediately.
GameStop PS5 restock: every 7 to 15 days (it’s been 7)
- Next GameStop PS5 restock date: Likely late this week or next week
- Last GameStop PS5 restock date: Thursday, July 16 at 11am EDT
- Pattern: week to week-and-a-half with GameStop-exclusive PS5 bundles
- How to buy PS5 from GameStop: Follow our PS5 restock tracker account
The GameStop PS5 restock date is every seven and 15 days, and so far it’s been just seven days since the game retailer has had the PS5 in stock in the US. Buyers of the last restock on Thursday, July 16 are just now getting their PS5 console orders in the mail. GameStop is one to hold out for because it offers bundles; this turns off resellers who can’t easily profit off readily available games and accessories, and that’s a good thing for real gamers who are still on the hunt for a PS5 console. GameStop is also limiting early access to its PS5 restock events to its Power Rewards Pro members, which costs $15 a year, further thinning out the heard.
Going by that time table, the next PS5 restock at GameStop should be later this week (from Wednesday to Friday) or early the week after (Monday to Wednesday), if the US game retailer sticks to its usual pattern that’s been used for much of 2021.
Look for an alert for the GameStop PS5 restock similar to this one.
Sony Direct PS5 restock already happened this week
- Sony Direct PS5 restock date and time for everyone: July 19 at 5:05pm EDT
- Sony Direct PS5 restock – if you had the email invite: July 19 at 3pm EDT
- Pattern: Twice a month at 5pm EDT, but fairly unpredictable
- How to buy PS5 from Sony Direct: Follow our PS5 restock tracker account
The Sony Direct is the exact opposite of a Walmart PS5 restock for several reasons. This official store for the PlayStation brand uses a virtual queue system that makes buying a PS5 into a lottery, complete with a progress bar. Walmart just throws everyone onto a page with an add-to-cart button and then a checkout button that both fail to function properly 99% of the time.
By doing this, Sony Direct randomizes who will get through the waiting process, though our expert advice always suggests using multiple devices to increase your chances. Both PS5 Disc at $499 MSRP and the PS5 Digital at the slightly cheaper price of $399 were for sale this week, but, as always, PS5 Digital Edition went out of stock first, a few minutes before PS5 Disc sold out.
The restock time was at 5:05pm EDT, which is in line with when Sony Direct does a virtual queue for everyone. Two hours before that time, at 3pm EDT, there was a separate smaller Sony Direct virtual queue for people who got a special email invite ahead of time (about 40 hours in advance).
According to our exclusive reporting, not everyone from the invite-only virtual queue was able to buy the console, which is extremely rare, especially when Sony Direct opens up orders to everyone else.
