PS5 restock at Sony Direct was a glitch-filled mess, but our tracker nailed it

Did you just miss the Target PS5 restock today? Then follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider, who will send you the next PS5 restock alert – if you follow his Twitter account and turn on notifications. Matt tracks and reports news on Sony’s PlayStation 5 console at Walmart, Best Buy, Target and GameStop, among other retailers in the US, and he’ll send you a PS5 restock alert when it’s in stock. Target had Playstation 5 Disc stock at 7:37am EDT this morning, but it sold out more quickly than normal due to low inventory and high demand. That’s why getting our alerts has become crucial to buying the PS5.

Here’s how to know what time the Target PS5 restock will happen:

Finally some PS5 restock news for September 10

Update: It’s official: the Target PS5 restock was in stock this morning at 7:37am EDT. We’re going to continue to track it today at other stores including Best Buy.

Yesterday: Today is the day that Dreamcast launched in the US 22 years ago, but we’re focused on Sega’s biggest console rival of that generation: Sony PlayStation, and right now, in 2021, it’s nearly impossible to buy the PS5 because of a global chip shortage.

Luckily, PS5 restock trackers like Matt Swider have been sending out alerts, telling people where and when to buy the new console. While Sony had a few good weeks of PlayStation 5 restocks in August, the last two weeks have been brutal. Last week, we only saw two PS5 Digital bundles in stock – that’s it. No major retailer in the US had the $499 PS5 Disc (the better console of the two) in stock.

We’re hearing – through exclusive sources – that multiple retailers throughout the United States have fresh inventory of the PS5, and at least one is ready to launch orders. We don’t know the official PS5 restock time just yet (it hasn’t been decided, according to our sources), but at least the PS5 will be for sale – if you’re quick enough to our PS5 restock alert.

Target PS5 restock was today

Update: The Target PS5 restock was today at 7:37am EDT, and if you missed it, you’re not alone. It was a small inventory drop today, and only a few of our followers got it, as you’re buying online, but selecting a local store when making the purchase for a later in-store pickup.

Target PS5 restock time: While Target has shifted its PlayStation 5 restock day of the week previously, the time is consistent: in 2021, it’s always been 7am EDT to 8am EDT, with one exception: last week was a little outside that window at 8:14am EDT. Don’t pass up PS5 Disc, which is almost always in stock first for PS5 Digital, which often goes in stock second, as PS5 Digital stock is extremely low.

Best Buy restock date: it’s been 28 days

Best Buy hasn’t had the Sony PS5 for sale since August 12, 2021, which, at the time of publication, is 28 days ago. This is actually typical of the Best Buy restock pattern, according to our PS5 restock Twitter tracker. It does back-to-back PS5 restocks almost every week, fooling people into thinking the console is available weekly, then it takes about one month off. We didn’t see a restock during all of April 2021.

Best Buy restock time: The date is harder to nail down outside of the fact that it’s never in stock during the weekends or evenings. But the official restock time always falls between 9:37am EDT and 5:05am EDT, so destined for working hours in the US Eastern time zone. It’s a big window, sure, but one we can easily track on Twitter.

Antonline PS5 restock – one next-gen bundle a week

Update: Antonline did have next-gen consoles today, but it was the Xbox Series S, and not the PS5. We’ll wait to see if other video game systems become available.

Antonline has been consistent with its PS5 restocks, promising – and mostly fulfilling – a next-gen console restock once per week. We say mostly because sometimes it has the Xbox Series S in there, which isn’t as difficult to find in stock compared to the PS5. Anyway, because Antonline had a PS5 Digital bundle last week, there’s no guarantee it’ll pick a Sony console this time, but it’s a next-gen console to be sure.

Keep in mind: Antonline PS5 bundles will look pricey at first, but they’re at face value for all of the games and accessories included. While consoles still sell out in about three minutes (or less), the bundles slow down resellers, who can’t easily profit off of the extras. So it’s a benefit to real gamers who want to play the bundled games.

Walmart PS5 restock – often Thursdays

Will the PS5 restock at Walmart today? We’re checking with our sources today (we usually know a little bit in advance), but we know two things: it favors Thursdays (every Walmart PS5 restock has been on a Thursday except for one in 2021), and we know for a fact that its severely back-ordered PlayStation 5 shipments are making their way to US consumers sooner than the slated October dates (yes, not everyone has seen their ‘order processing’ status hasten, but a lot of people have). 

Walmart takes a long time to ship, and if it continues to offer the console with dates in October like it did in August (a two-month gap), by the time October rolls around, it’s going to have to be promising consoles in 2022, and no one wants to see that on Black Friday. It needed to slow down the pace a bit. That’s why we’re giving Walmart a 50/50 shot for today, and we know it’s usually at specific times: 12pm EDT, 3pm EDT or 9pm EDT (the latter time only if there are leftovers). 

GameStop – no major bundles just yet

GameStop is your best chance to buy a PS5 in 2021 simply because it offers bundles and has a barrier to entry through its GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro membership that costs $15. Some people dislike this approach, but it rewards real gamers and has nearly stopped resellers – it’s hard for them to profit off of specific PS5 games on the open market when those games are readily available at MSRP.

But we haven’t heard from our GameStop sources about a major PS5 restock. Only once (two weeks ago) did they do a restock without us knowing far in advance – but it was a single PS5 Digital bundle, so if there’s one is won’t be a big deal. Matt Swider usually knows about the GameStop PS5 restock hours in advance, so check for an update soon.

Sony Direct email invites remain scarce

Sony Direct has had a PS5 restock twice a month for the last few months, and we’re always tipped off by Matt’s Twitter followers, a handful of whom receive the coveted Sony Direct email invite one day in advance of a ‘virtual queue.’ What’s that? It’s a lottery system that randomly selects people so that can more fairly buy the console.

There are often two virtual queues that exist, one for people who receive that Sony Direct email invite (it’s randomized among PSN users and the queue starts at 3pm EDT, so check your inbox for the email invite), and one that sometimes opens up at 5pm EDT for everyone else if there are planned leftovers (and it’s of course much harder to be successful in the later PlayStation Direct virtual queue).