How the PS5 restock at GameStop today is unlike any other in-store event in the past

Is the era of GameStop PS5 restock in-store event lines over?

There’s another GameStop PS5 restock in-store event happening today in the US, and it just might be your best shot at finding the Sony console in stock – but there are a few things different, according to our exclusive reporting.

First, here’s what hasn’t changed: GameStop has PS5 for sale for in a bundle, so you’ll have to want to buy the PlayStation 5 Disc console with Call of Duty: Vanguard, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, an extra red controller and a $50 Gift Card.

According to the GameStop store locator, there are about 650 GameStop stores with the PS5 restock today. Not every GameStop store will have the Sony console in stock, and, as far as we can tell, it won’t be sold online, though GameStop has pivoted back and forth between in-store and online restocks in 2022.

What’s different about this GameStop PS5 restock

You may be able to do a “walk-in purchase” at a GameStop store to buy the PS5 console for the first time, depending on the popularity of your store location. That hasn’t been the case nationwide before, although there have been rare reports of it at select store locations during the prior restock. Demand may increase again come Black Friday 2022 or when the PSVR 2 pre order date rolls around, but for now, it’s at an all-time low. PS5 sometimes sits there even after stores open when sold in bundles just like we’ve seen from some Xbox Series X restock events.

So your chances are good, right? Well, there weren’t as many PS5 consoles delivered to GameStop stores this time. There are as few as ten PS5 Disc consoles in stock at some locations, according to photos sent to me by my Twitter followers.

With a lack of long lines at a lot of GameStop locations, it’s clear that demand for PS5, at least when not offered at MSRP and in bundle form, is waning in late January 2022. That is good news for PS5 future PS5 restock in-store events in February 2022.

But because GameStop is doing weekly restocks (mostly in-store but last week was dedicated to online purchases – still a restock), supply is thinning out. Meaning, you may still have to wake up early in order to secure a console. But it won’t be because of a crowd, but because supply continues to be limited.

Where else to check for PS5 in January

The days of January are waning, but Thursday is usually the most active day to find the PS5 in stock. Besides GameStop, we often see Walmart and sometimes Target have the console on hand. Amazon is also due to a PlayStation 5 restock soon.

But Walmart hasn’t delivered all PS5 Disc and Digital consoles to people who bought them two weeks ago, and Target just did a restock on Friday of last week. This is why GameStop, despite the bundles that turn people off, is more of a sure thing this week than anywhere else in the US.

Just don’t forget to download January 2022 PS Plus games before the PlayStation Plus February 2022 free games take their place. And if you aren’t a member of Sony’s online service yet, be sure to check out the best PlayStation Plus discount code for the 12-month membership before the deal expires today.