More than 19 months since the PlayStation 5 launched and many people are still wondering whether stock issues regarding Sony's next-gen console are still prevailing. Well, according to the UK's biggest stock tracker, things might be changing for the better.
Speaking to T3, Stock Checker director Talha Sonmez (who also runs the PS5 Stock UK Twitter account with over 225,000 followers) predicts that PS5 disc consoles on their own (no bundles) should be "readily available" by the summer. He specifically noted August as the month when everyone should be able to pick one up hassle-free in the country.
It does have to be noted that since around May, PS5 stock in the UK has become easier to get a hold of from our experience. Retailers such as GAME, Argos, Very, ShopTo and Smyths Toys are all restocking on a more regular basis with consoles not typically selling out for a good day or so.
Sonmez concurs: "We now have multiple retailers every single day who constantly have bundles in stock. Even PlayStation Direct, which sold the console on its own remained in stock for almost a whole day, which is super rare to see, without mentioning the fact that Amazon (the largest retailer on Earth) also took hours to sell out."
The picture is slightly different, however, for those trying to get their hands on a PS5 Digital Edition (no disc drive). "It is still very rare and hasn't improved at all when it comes to the frequency of restocks," Sonmez tells us. That's why the professional stock checker recommends anyone looking for a console just to purchase a PS5 Disc Edition, alongside the overall savings by doing this.
"I'm aware there are gamers out there who are solely going for the Digital Edition purely because it's cheaper," he explains. "But it'll be more costly than ever during the long run as they'd be limited to PlayStation Store prices only – and we all know PS Store discounts aren't that often and are not too great when there are deals."
"For this reason, I personally don't see the [PS5] Digital Edition being rare as a bad thing, as it's more expensive in the long run for gamers who care about saving, especially when we are in times like this where inflation is increasing quite fast."
The US, on the other hand, appears to be still struggling to keep up with demand (though it was noted by Sonmez that he has less experience with that market). Amazon did recently introduce a new invite-only system to make getting a PS5 simpler – the first time this has happened since the PS5 launched in November 2020.
Sony, meanwhile, has now launched its new Netflix-style PS Plus subscription service with the Japanese firm confirming that it is working on a long-overdue update for classic PlayStation games as a part of it.
Still looking for a console? Head on over to T3's PS5 restock tracker for the latest details.
