Want to buy a PS5 for the holidays? This might be your best chance

PS5 launch day availability
(Image credit: Sony)

The PS5 is less than a month away from blowing out the candle to celebrate its first birthday, but it is still a challenge to find one with restocks selling out in minutes. 

If a PS5 is on your holiday shopping list then Sony itself may be the answer as deal finder @Wario64 recently spotted a page where you can register for the chance to buy a PS5 from Sony. If selected, you will just get an email with instructions on how to complete the purchase (via CNET).

To be eligible, you need a PlayStation Network account and Sony indicated that selections will be made "based on previous interests and PlayStation activities." While that is a bit vague, it does suggest that a dormant PlayStation Network account may not have a lot of luck.

Emails will be sent out starting in November to notify those that have been selected with instructions on how to purchase the console along with a day and time that you will be able to do so.

While the lottery nature of this is one catch, the other is that you still aren't guaranteed a PS5 if you are selected. When your invitation window opens you have the opportunity to buy any of the following items:

  • 1 PS5 console or 1 PS5 Digital Edition
  • 2 DualSense wireless controllers (Bundles , Cosmic Red or Midnight Black)
  • 3 DualSense wireless controllers (White)
  • 1 PS5 Media Remote
  • 1 PULSE 3D wireless headset

Quantities of all the products are limited for each purchasing window, but you at least only need to be the fastest among a much smaller group and each user is only able to purchase one PS5 per PlayStation Network account.

It's unfortunate that a year is still the state of the PS5 supply, but if you are determined to get a PS5 for the holidays this might be one of your best chances.

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.