Xbox Series X and Series S pre-order date and time are set — showing the PS5 how it's done

(Image credit: Microsoft)

While Microsoft was the first out of the gate with the pricing and release date for its next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S, it hadn't yet given us any information regarding when we could pre-order a launch-day console. 

Having witnessed the unfortunate PS5 pre-order process, the company wasn't looking to duplicate that mess so it provided Kotaku with the exact time and date that its pre-orders will go live, along with a list of the retailers that will carry the consoles. Sony, this is how it's done.

On September 22 at 8 am Pacific (11 am Eastern), the pre-order floodgates will open for both the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S.

The retailers that will have stock available to pre-order include Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Gamestop, Newegg, Sam's Club, Walmart and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (Express). 

Having watched many a retailer's website melt under the PS5 pre-order traffic, you would be wise to keep this list of retailers handy as it may require a little jumping around to ensure that you get a pre-order. 

Knowing the exact second when pre-orders go live is nice for planning ahead, but it also guarantees that these websites will be slammed by the full Xbox horde as they rapidly refresh the page at 11 am ET on September 22.

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.