Here’s where and when you can buy the Sony PS5

Sony’s PlayStation 5 will be available starting November 12th, and if you missed your chances of securing one on launch, you’re not alone.  Reports are that the pre-ordering process was, well, kind of a mess. But don’t despair – you might be able to secure the console – at least online – on launch day. Sony has confirmed the PlayStation 5 will only be available via select retailers’ online stores on November 12, due to safety precautions around COVID-19. People who have already preordered their PS5 and selected in-store pickup will still be able to do so. “Please don’t plan on camping out or lining up at your local retailer on launch day in hopes of finding a PS5 console for purchase. Be safe, stay home, and place your order online,” wrote SIE Content Communications Senior Director Sid Shuman in a PS Blog post.

If you are looking to secure the console at Walmart, the retailer announced that it will be selling the console on launch day: Thursday, November 12th.  Walmart is doing things a little differently though, setting aside four different time slots when PS5 consoles will become available. Rather than making the console available to purchase at once and having them sell out immediately, Walmart is giving people four chances to buy a PS5 throughout the day. According to the retailer, PS5 consoles will go on sale on Walmart.com at 12 p.m. ET, 3 p.m.ET, 6 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to buy a PS5 on launch day as there will be millions of others refreshing the website at the same time.

Best Buy has confirmed it “will not have any PS5 units in stores throughout the entire holiday season,” so you won’t see the PS5 in any Best Buy brick-and-mortar stores until 2021. The retailer would not confirm that the PS5 will be available online for launch day and instead kept its plans vague, saying the PS5 would be restocked online as soon as the store has units available.

In its Black Friday 2020 ad, Target confirmed it will have the PS5 available to purchase online on November 12, but no restock time was given. Orders can be shipped or picked up in-store.

It would also be a good idea to hedge your bets and keep a close eye on other popular retailers, like Amazon.com, GameStop, Newegg, B&H Photo, and Sam’s Club (if you have a membership).

If you are torn between which PS5 console to buy, no need to worry. The biggest differences to note is that the PS5 Digital Edition is smaller than the PS5 standard, costs $399, and it does not include a Blu-ray disc drive. The PS5 standard is $100 more ($499 retail), is a bit bulkier than the digital edition, and includes a disc drive, allowing you to play game discs.

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