PS5 restock updates UK: Latest pre-order dates from Game, John Lewis, Smyths, Argos and more

Follow live: PS5 stock UK – tracking live restock updates from all the major retailers

The PS5 has been out for nearly a year now and gamers are still struggling to get their hands on Sony’s newest console. Stock issues have plagued the PS5 ever since it launched last year, and the restock kerfuffle is still going on today.

The sad tale began in November, when excited gamers tore open PS5 parcels that they had pre-ordered, only to find them replaced with cat food, a George Foreman grill and a bag of grain. Whenever more PS5s were made available, they were snapped up almost immediately, with scalpers leading the charge.

Availability of the PS5 isn’t likely to improve until later in the year thanks to the global shortage in semiconductors due to increased demand for electronics. Some reports even suggest that the Suez Canal blockage could have contributed to even more delays in stock. 

“The pace of the improvement in the supply chain will gather throughout the course of the year,” Jim Ryan, Sony’s CEO, told The Financial Times. “By the time we get to the second half of [2021], you’re going to be seeing really decent numbers indeed.”  

August was one of the best months for PS5 restocks since the console was first released. Over 30 drops had taken place throughout the month. September was pretty good, but the drops didn’t reach the highs of August. The question now is – will October be any better?

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We’ve been predicting restocks for months now, and have seen patterns emerge among the major retailers. In the months ahead, Sony expects the situation to improve, and hopefully shelves will start filling up nicely. We’ll also be updating this page regularly whenever we hear exactly when retailers will be stocking up once again.  

When will the PS5 restock in the UK?

Where to buy PS5 in the UK

While August was an extremely good month for PS5 restocks, with us seeing over 35 drops in total, September was a little lacklustre in comparison. Sadly, the start to October has been even worse than September, so we’re just hoping that it starts to pick back up again soon.

Each retailer has a different schedule for when they will drop the PS5 on their website, and below we’ve rounded up all the major ones, along with the best ways to get a console when they do end up arriving.     

Amazon

Amazon last had a restock of the disc edition console on 29 September and the digital edition console on 22 September. Both times, stock sold out within an hour. The retailer usually releases the PS5 disc edition before the PS5 digital edition, so be aware if you see one go live before the other. On 14 July, Amazon made the console exclusively available to Prime members for the first time, which may be good at combating scalper bots in the future. It has only made the console available to Prime customers ever since.

Our top tips are:

AO

The last time AO had a PS5 restock was on 4 October, with stock lasting 10 minutes. In previous drops, customers have had to perform some coding gymnastics to secure the console. When the PS5 is live, sometimes customers have to do the below, just to get it into their basket:

It takes a bit of effort, but many people have seen success using it when the console is live but showing “out of stock”. Note: This will only work when the PS5 product page is live on AO, and you’ll need to be using Google Chrome.

You can test this out with any item on AO’s website if you want a bit of practice before the next drop. AO usually drops stock between 9am and 11am in the morning. It’s expected to only have bundles in stock this time round.

Asda

The last drop at Asda took place on 27 September and stock sold out within minutes. Drops usually take place between 8am and 9am. Asda isn’t the easiest retailer to secure a console from, but we do have a few tips.

Make sure to have all your payment details saved ahead of time and that you’ve added the console to your wish list. Sometimes you aren’t able to check out from the main PS5 landing page, but you are able to check out from your wish list. 

Argos

Argos is one of a handful of retailers that have started allowing people to walk into its stores and order a PS5 console right from one of its tablets. It usually has an in-store drop at the same time as its online drop. The last restock took place at 8am on 30 September. Be warned, however, that the difficulty level for Argos is high.

Drops used to occur in the dead of the night between 1am and 5am, and go live region by region, but the retailer has since begun dropping consoles at 8am. You might see one city go live before yours and all you can do is refresh the page. Argos’s website isn’t the most reliable, with many gamers finding more success through the Android app.

BT

BT uses a similar system to Currys VIP pass system. BT last sent out codes via email on 4 October to those who had registered their interest. These emails contain a code that will take you directly to the order page where you can buy a PS5. This is why it’s important to register your interest at every retailer so you’re on top of any email-only drops.

Sometimes, BT makes the PS5 exclusively available to BT Broadband customers, other times, it let’s everyone get involved in the drop.

Currys PC World

Currys PC World used to use a PS5 VIP priority pass lottery to dish out its consoles in a fair way. If selected, you would have five days to buy the console using a unique code, with redeemers receiving a call a few weeks later. While the lottery has been closed since the start of June, those who signed up are still being sent codes every couple of weeks, so keep an eye on your inbox and you could be next. Codes were last sent out on 18 September.

The retailer last had a general sale restock online on 7 July – the first it has had in a very long time. Stock sold out within half an hour. It also had an in-store restock on 2 September.

Game

Game is one of the few retailers that have started selling consoles in-store from June. The retailer now runs a pre-order waiting list system. If you pop into your local Game, you can ask to be put on the list and you’ll get a call if you’ve been allocated a PS5.

The last time we checked, Game had the largest number of PS5 bundles out of all the retailers. The cheapest disc edition bundle came with a “Player1” T-shirt (£464.98, Game.co.uk). The most expensive disc bundle came with a dual sense controller and a pulse 3D gaming headset (£599.97, Game.co.uk).

At the start of June, Game listed new Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart bundles on its website. A PS5 disc edition with a copy of Rift Apart cost £519.98 (Game.co.uk).

The last online Game drop took place on 29 September at 11am. The retailer updates its PS5 bundles page with new release dates every few weeks.

John Lewis & Partners

John Lewis & Partners last had a PS5 drop at 7am on 28 September. As usual with the retailer, it didn’t last very long, but it does always seem to drop at 7am like clockwork.

The retailer only appears to get a couple of thousand consoles or less each time new stock comes in, so we’re not expecting anything big the next time there’s a drop. When it happens, we recommend checking out via the app – people have seen more success through this method.

Scan

Scan had one of the weirdest PS5 restocks we’ve ever seen on 10 September. It made a console bundle, which included a PS5 digital edition bundle with two dualsense controllers, a charging station and a pulse 3D wireless headset for £534.98 (Scan.co.uk), available to buy through its live chat system. Maybe this is the latest way retailers are trying to stop scalpers from stealing all the consoles.

Smyths Toys

Smyths Toys last had an online restock on 20 September at 10am. Like Argos and Game, Smyths Toys has begun accepting in-store pre-orders. People are currently able to walk into their local Smyths Toys store and ask for a PS5.

In-store drops usually happen at the same time as online drops. Smyths isn’t the easiest retailer to secure online stock from, with consoles usually being pick-up only. Its website doesn’t always show the PS5 as being in stock for everyone either, even if someone from the same city as you has managed to buy the console.

An in-store only drop took place on 5 October, but the website was not updated with stock. People could only purchase a console by going in and asking at their local retailer.

Tesco

“Where the heck is the Tesco PS5 restock?” we hear you cry. The last time Tesco had a restock was on 15 March. It’s been so long that PS5 stock trackers have stopped predicting Tesco drops altogether, since they never materialise.

The last rumoured date for a Tesco drop was 2 June, with stock trackers claiming that it received a shipment in late May. The retailer may potentially have a huge batch of consoles and is just waiting for the perfect time to release them. It’s the longest a single retailer has gone without a drop.

Very

The last time Very had a PS5 restock was on 14 September, with stock going live at 10am. The retailer has quickly become one of our favourite PS5 stockists, with drops lasting up to four hours.

Our top tip for Very is not to leave the queue when stock goes live, or you will have to queue up again. The same goes for refreshing the page – don’t do it, no matter how tempting it is to press that button! Stock usually drops between 9am and 10am in the morning.

EE

EE had restocked the PS5 every single day of the week in the first week of August, with the last drop happening on 9 August at 9am. Only EE customers are able to buy a PS5 from the retailer, with eligible customers needing to be on a 12-month or longer contract. The network provider only sells the PS5 disc edition console (£40 a month for 11 months), but you can also get a PS5 disc edition bundle with an additional dualsense controller (£45 a month for 11 months).

The last EE restock took place on 28 September.

How much is the PS5?

The PS5 disc edition costs £449.99, while the PS5 digital edition is cheaper at £349.99. The standard PS5 is the exact same price as the new Xbox series x – conveniently also out of stock at most retailers. But the Xbox series s (the all-digital edition of the Xbox series x) is cheaper than the PS5 digital edition, costing just £249. If you want more information on the differences, you can read our comparison of the Xbox series x and PS5 here.       

A number of retailers, including Game, Very, Argos, ShopTO and more are selling the PS5 bundled with games and other PS5 accessories as well.

When was the PS5 released?

The PS5 was released on 19 November in the UK and sold out instantly. Some of the people who pre-ordered the console on Amazon found themselves greeted with not a shiny new PS5, but a bag of grain, a grill or some cat food instead. Despite being out for more than eight months now, the PS5 is still extremely difficult to find.

Can you play PS4 games on the PS5 and is the PS5 backwards compatible?

You sure can! The overwhelming majority of the PS4 games you own are playable on the PS5. You’ll be able to download any games you bought through the PlayStation store on your PS4 and play them on the next-gen console.

If you’ve got the disc edition of the PS5, you’ll also be able to insert your PS4 discs into it and play them that way, too. Obviously, because there’s no physical disc slot on the digital edition of the console, you won’t be able to play any PS4 discs you own. We’ve compiled a list of our favourite PS4 games, and most of them have dropped in price since the PS5 came out.

Best PS5 accessories 

Whether you’re still waiting for your chance to get your hands on a PS5, or you managed to get one in a recent drop, we’ve tested and reviewed everything from the best wireless gaming headsets to the best gaming keyboards. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourites below.

Thanks to Razer’s offering, you don’t have to spend £300+ on a wireless gaming headset to get excellent in-game sound. Aimed at esports players, the headset offers superb directional audio and a superbly clear microphone ensuring your team communication is completely unimpeded.

It comes with impressive built-in noise cancellation, leaving you to concentrate on the in-game audio, and its memory foam cushions are gentle on delicate ears. While it’s plug and play with both PS4/5 and Nintendo Switch (docked), the headphones really come to life on PC with THX spatial audio where virtual surround gives you a good idea of where your enemies are lurking in supported games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Doom Eternal.

There’s not too many THX-supported games, and the feature isn’t present on console, but the audio quality is still good and the comfort is there, so this remains an excellent mid-range headset for those who play multiplayer on PC and PS4.

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Fans of the original Blackshark headset, released by Razer in 2012, should get excited about the remastered V2, which was released just last month. The V2 takes everything its predecessor mastered – amazing audio, superior mic clarity, supreme sound isolation, premium comfort – and enhances it, truly making this the gamer’s gaming headset.

For the audiophiles, the V2 offers a huge depth of customisation, from the 50mm drivers that allow individual tuning for highs, mids and lows to the soundcard and advanced mic controls that finetune the pick-up area and eliminate background noise so that you can deliver your burns loud and clear.

But the real USP is undoubtedly the superior features that come with Razer’s partnership with THX – the movie-standard audio company of George Lucas fame. Not only does this deliver a lifelike and realistic 360 degrees of sound, but you are able to create “profiles” for your favourite games. You can adjust the settings to your liking, down to the finest detail, to ensure you are able to pinpoint and track your enemies – allowing you to turn up softer sounds without overpowering the louder ones, like picking up footsteps during a chaotic firefight – while the surround sound ensures you won’t lose any of the immersive environment sounds. In layman’s terms, you hear sounds exactly where you’d expect to hear them.

That’s not to say this isn’t a great headset whether you’re on your 14th hour of Apex (which they truly are built for), roaming a vast RPG or simply listening to music or watching a video – the audio quality is top-notch. And if that doesn’t sell it to you, the lightweight design (the whole thing comes in at just 240g) and memory foam cushions suit both professional esports players who play for long periods of time as well as on-the-go audiophiles.

The V2 is the brother of the V2 X (£62.90, Razer.com), which, with much of the same features bar the soundcard and THX spatial audio, is two-thirds of the price, making for a great entry-level headset.

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For more on the PS5, why not check out our review, or our round-up of the best game consoles of 2021?

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