Could it really be? Is the era of the massive PlayStation 5 shortage finally coming to an end?
According to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, yes, it is.
“Everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward,” Ryan said during a CES presentation(Opens in a new tab) in Jan. 2023. Maybe that sounded too good to be true a month ago, but it’s actually starting to play out right before our eyes: Multiple retailers have PlayStation 5 consoles in stock at the time of this writing. No waitlists, no invitations needed — you can just buy one.
While we’re not entirely sure why there’s been this sudden shift, we suspect that it has something to do with the pandemic supply chain challenges and semiconductor shortages starting to calm down.
PlayStation VR2 is a killer headset in need of a killer app
Up until now, being able to simply buy a PS5 was a pipe dream. Since the console’s Nov. 2020 release, store shelves and online retailers alike were constantly fresh out of units just as quickly as they arrived, with many of them having to resort to tactics like exclusive timed restocks and invite-only drops to level the playing field. And even then, securing one was never a guarantee. (Don’t get us started on the scalpers and bots(Opens in a new tab).)
But, hopefully all of the madness is in the past and the consistent PS5 stock is here to stay. Convenient timing, too, with the recent releases of flagship PlayStation 5 accessories like the PSVR2(Opens in a new tab) and DualSense Edge(Opens in a new tab).
It only took over two years, but it seems like the tide has shifted. Here’s where you can reliably get a PS5 right now:
