Exclusive: PS5 restock at Target is likely to happen tomorrow – heres when – TechRadar

Update 2: The PS5 restock could be as early as Monday, according to Target employees who use the word likely. However, others are reporting that they’re still getting inventory, with a date more consistent with Thursday. We’ve updated our story to include both possibilities.

Update: We uploaded more photos showing the PS5 and Xbox restock being readied at Target stores around the US, both in the front (kiosks) and in the back (boxes in inventory). Be sure to follow the Twitter tracker below to get instant PS5 and Xbox restock alerts.

Important: Please don’t show up at Target to order either console. These are online only orders with the option to pickup in stores. We’re also hearing the PS5 restock could be as soon as Monday morning from three different Target employees, but that leaves open the possibility it could be later in the week. We’ll let you know when the drop via Twitter as soon as it happens.

TechRadar can confirm that Target employees have been preparing for a PS5 restock for this week, and it could happen as tomorrow. An Xbox Series X restock is also said to be prepped for the same online-only ordering process, employees tell us.

“We have roughly 8 Xbox consoles and 22 PS5 consoles,” we were told in a Direct Message on Twitter by a Target employee who wishes to remain anonymous. Across three Target stores, employees told us that there are more more PS5 Disc Editions and very few to no PS5 Digital Editions for the impending Target restock.

Two things to keep in mind: it could be tomorrow morning, and we’ll be awake to sound the alarm via Twitter as soon as orders go live. Or it could be another day this week. Target loves to surprise us with early morning consoles drops, but employees aren’t always aware of when they happen. They just know when inventory peaks.

Notable streamer Cameron Ritz, or Killercam1020 on Twitch, suggests that it could be as late as Thursday.

“One of the people who I’ve talked to about Target said that they typically go live 1.5 weeks after stores start seeing inventory,” Ritz divulged. “I believe that was Monday this past week when they started getting inventory. Unless there’s some kinda delay my guess is Thursday.”

Here’s another tell consoles are coming soon: Target customers nationwide are also finding PS5 inventory show up in kiosks tonight ahead of the expected sale. Twitch streamer MyGuyMcFly snapped and sent TechRadar a photo, seen below, showing 18 PS5 consoles in stock at a local Target in Minnesota, suggesting they’re ready for as soon as tomorrow morning.

All three Target employees we talked to live in different parts of the US, so there’s a good chance this is a nationwide restock, whenever it happens.

We saw something similar two weeks ago when both the PS5 and Xbox Series X were sold online for in-store pickup. The consoles only lasted a few minutes before Target completely ran out of stock. The good news is it wasn’t as hard to get ahold of either console as it was on Walmart and Best Buy late last week.

Pro tip: Target does online-only orders, but allows for in-store pickup. This means some stores, especially those in big cities, will run out more quickly. Try to adjust your pickup location if your nearest store runs out.

TechRadar went to visit the Herald Square store in Manhattan, and employees there said they don’t often carry the PlayStation 5. So it may be available on a store-by-store basis. The next closest Target with likely inventory was their larger Harlem store, which didn’t return our phone calls. The first their their automated message machine insists is they they don’t give out PS5 and Xbox restock information.

Last time there was a major Target PS5 restock, it happened at 8am EST, so it’s best to be prepared to wake up early, even if you’re on the West Coast. However, there are no guarantees that Target will launch orders a 8AM EST on Monday. It could be earlier (Target has done that before), it could be later, or it could be as later this week.

TechRadar also has several photos of boxes in the Target backroom showing Xbox Series X and PS5 inventory. We initially withheld those pictures until we could ensure there were no markings that could be traced back to our sources.

You can do two things today. Check the stores below and receive alerts from our PS5 restock Twitter tracker.

• 2. Check for PS5 restock yourself – these are the 12 trusted stores

Check these stores for PS5

1. Amazon: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition – always check for surprise stock
2. GameStop: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition – great source due to affordable bundles that stay in stock longer
3. Walmart: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition – just went out of stock Thursday
4. Sony Direct: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition
5. Target: PS5 |PS5 Digital Edition 
6. Best Buy: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition – in stock Friday
7. B&H Photo: PS5 |PS5 Digital Edition
8. Sam’s Club: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition
9. Newegg: PS5 | PS5 Digital Edition
10. Costco: PS5
11. Adorama: PS5 
12. Antonline: PS5

PS5 has been nearly impossible to find in stock for more than a few minutes every time stores restock the Sony console. We’re finding the same can be said about the Xbox Series X. Both Sony and Microsoft launches their respective consoles in November 2020 and haven’t been able to manufacturer enough to meet demand.

Stores like Target, Walmart and Best Buy routinely add new stock to their stores and the crush of people coming to their sites often crashes the pages. Four months after the initial launches, it’s still a burden to buy a next-gen console, even after months of customers constantly trying their luck.