PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection pre-order tips: how to get it this week

PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection pre-orders start on Thursday, September 26

The Shortcut subscribers can see the discount codes below ⤵️

PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection bundle will be difficult to buy, but we have some tips (Image credit: Sont)

• 📆 The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection goes on sale on Thursday

• 🕹️ Sony’s newer consoles and accessories get a 90s PlayStation makeover

• 💰 The PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition price is likely over $1,000

• 🫣 Only 12,300 limited-edition 30th Anniversary bundles will be sold

• 🧠 The Shortcut and Matt Swider on X will help you find it in stock

The PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection is creating a surge in demand for Sony’s forthcoming mid-cycle console, and it may be nearly impossible to find in stock when pre-orders go on sale on September 26, according to our exclusive US retailer data.

How do we know? Well, the reaction to Sony’s $699 PS5 Pro console upgrade was mixed earlier this month. However, as soon as the company announced its limited-edition PlayStation 30th Anniversary bundles, which are stylized like the original 90s PS1, retailers saw a dramatic uptick in clicks, according to our data.

You’ll have difficulty buying the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection – unless you get a little help from our proven tips.

How to get PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition before it sells out

• Get our instant alerts: Your best chance to find the PS5 Pro Anniversary edition in stock is to follow Matt Swider on X – and turn on notifications. It’ll look like:

I helped 400,000 people buy a PS5 and Xbox when they were hard to get. I’m doing it all over again with this new limited-edition PS5 Pro

Demand for information only increased even though the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition price may exceed $1,000. Sony hasn’t officially told us the final price yet, but the special-edition consoles and accessories in the bundle add up to that.

This will be a true collector’s item for PlayStation fans

The first thing to know is only 12,300 PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection bundles will be made, according to Sony. In fact, unique numbers will be etched on each unit sold. This will be a true collector’s item for PlayStation fans and will be available to purchase globally, meaning you’re competing with gamers worldwide to pre-order it.

This is the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection bundle (Image credit: Sont)

1. PS5 Pro will be sold on PlayStation Direct at first

In the United States and any region where a PlayStation Direct online store exists, all PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection products will be sold exclusively through Sony’s own store on September 26. This will be your only opportunity to secure the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection bundle.

2. You’ll need a PlayStation Network account

In order to buy the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection from the PlayStation Direct Store, you’ll need a PlayStation Network account. It doesn’t have to be a paid account that gets PlayStation Plus free games (although that does secure faster free shipping). This could help Sony cut down on resellers looking to buy the limited-edition console just to resell it to out-of-luck gamers, as accounts will likely be limited to one limited-edition PS5 Pro console.

This is what the PlayStation Direct queue has looked like in the past (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

3. Get through the PS5 Pro 30th Collection queue

Based on our extensive research during the PS5 restock saga, we know how things will go down once PlayStation Direct pre-orders go live on September 26. Sony will open up a queue with a familiar yellow bar that has people waiting in a virtual line.

Because so many people will be trying to buy the same sought-after product, it’s important to be logged in and attempt to access the site as soon as possible. We’re seeing high demand for the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Watch 10, and AirPods 4 with ANC that we just reviewed, so people aren’t balking at high prices these days like you might expect. PS5 Pro will be no different this week.

4. PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection pre-order time

One crucial piece of information that Sony left out of its official announcement: what time the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection bundle will go live. According to our data, Sony Direct has most often started its queues between 10am and 11am ET, giving people on the West Coast of the United States a chance to buy too.

Matt Swider on X will start to track the PS5 Pro pre-order time from the early morning of September 26, so you’ll get an alert and a link as soon as consoles go live.

5. How to get PS5 Digital 30th Anniversary

Not all hope is lost if you don’t secure the 30th Anniversary Collection on September 26. PS5 Digital Edition with the same original PlayStation throwback design won’t be nearly as limited (this version falls outside that 12,300 number that seems to pertain to the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Collection only).

PS5 Pro pre-orders at Walmart, GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy and Target will start after PlayStation Direct’s exclusive pre-order window expires on October 10. This pre-order is when both the standard-looking PS5 Pro and PS5 Digital 30th Anniversary will go on sale at participating retailers, according to Sony.

There will also be a limited-edition standalone PS5 DualSense controller stylized with the 30th Anniversary design, just in case you can’t find the PS5 Pro console in stock. Pre-orders for this controller go live on September 26.

🔒 Bonus: $100 PS, $50 Nintendo & Xbox gift card deals; 50% off Game Pass

• 🟦 $100 PlayStation giftcard for $84

• 🍄 $50 Nintendo Gift Card for $44

• 🟩 $50 Xbox Gift Card for $44

• ❎ 50% off Xbox Game Pass for $27.49 (Microsoft’s MSRP is now $60)

We’re expanding our discount codes for paid subscribers as a pack-in. It’s sort of like CD-ROM pack-ins for subscribers of 90s magazines.

😬 Can’t afford it? Totally fine. You can claim one free post. I’m also opening up more ways to be a paid subscriber for people who can’t spare the $5/mo ($4.16/mo) to keep us going. Support us in other ways by referring your friends & family to The Shortcut. Help us grow!