Like countless other gamers out there, I had been trying to get my hands on a PlayStation 5 since its release last year. I admit I was a little slow on the uptake as far as following Twitter restock updates, but better late to the party than never, right? Well, today, I finally had success buying a PS5. To be specific, I snagged a PS5 digital. I can’t stop staring at the confirmation in my inbox. I keep thinking if I blink, it will disappear. Just yesterday, I was where you are now, thinking it would never happen for me. So, to help you out, I want to share my experience.
What I’d Tried Already for Buying a PS5
What have I done over the past 6+ months to get a PS5? Well, like I said—I was a little slow on the uptake, but I did start following Twitter restock accounts early this year. I’d check them maybe 3-4 times a day. I’d also sporadically swing by Sony Direct, Walmart, Target, and Amazon online. I did make it into a Sony Direct queue at one point, but it didn’t pan out.
I also started calling my local Fred Meyer every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Alas, I only began doing this right as the microchip shortage really took off. This past month, they got a whopping two consoles in! Naturally, they were gone way before I could drive into town.
Today’s Success: Twitter Restock Updates and Walmart Checkout
To be honest, I’d almost given up, as it seems like it has gotten progressively harder this year to get a PS5. And I’d seen reports estimating that supply won’t catch up with demand until 2023. But on a whim this morning, I checked a couple of Twitter restock accounts, PS5 Restock Alert and Lord of Restocks.
Finally, the stars had aligned! For once, a restock was scheduled ahead of me and not behind me. Apparently, PS5 Digital (not my first choice, but hey, I got it) would be in stock at Walmart at noon my time. I already had my account made and my address entered in. I made sure I was logged in, and started hitting refresh on the page a couple minutes before noon. At noon, the page updated to say the item would be in stock at 12:10. I waited, and tried again. It updated and said it would be in stock at 12:20.
I started hitting refresh at 12:18. Right around 12:20, I saw the magical “add to cart” button. I grabbed a protection plan, clicked on the “add to cart” button, and it sent me to a “waiting room” page. This refreshed a couple times. The second time, I found myself in the cart. This was where things got a bit weird. Somehow, my address was missing, so I had to enter it in. I then had to re-enter my password to make that “change.” I had to solve a captcha twice when I tried to check out. Then, suddenly I was back in the cart, and still apparently hadn’t checked out. I tried checking out again, solved the captcha one more time, and boom! It was done.
I was a little worried I’d somehow checked out twice, but I didn’t. I still am having a hard time believing it, but I finally succeeded. So, if you are feeling discouraged buying a PS5—don’t give up! You too may soon get lucky.
I’m Still Waiting to Receive My PS5
According to the shipping estimate, I’ll be waiting almost a month before I get my PS5 Digital. When I do, I will update this page to let you know what my shipping experience was like. And of course, I will be sure to tell you what the PS5 Digital itself is like! Follow all our PlayStation news.