While stock woes of the new-gen consoles have certainly eased over the course of 2022, there are still many, many folks wanting to know how to buy a PS5 this Black Friday.
While we can't guarantee that retailers will flood the market with stock they've been holding onto or expect price cuts on the machines themselves, we're quietly confident of some PS5 stock drops as it's the best time of year to engage with a captive, wallet-at-the-ready audience.
And that improved stock situation we've seen this year could bode well for being able to buy a PS5 on Black Friday this year. We've been hoping that retailers will have an eye on the sales period when everyone is ready to spend on gaming gear, to then unleash stock on us during this year's Black Friday PS5 deals. Hopefully.
We did hope for a similar situation during this year's Amazon Prime Day and the windfall of stock didn't exactly happen then. Perhaps the more traditional sales will encourage retailers to make PS5 available, as shoppers and gamers will already be very much in the mood for picking up tech and spending cash.
Nonetheless, we do expect to see PS5 stock available to buy on Black Friday - though don't expect retailers to be swimming in it, of course. Aside from the console itself, of course, don't forget that the next best thing to do is to take advantage of the likes of the Black Friday PS5 SSD deals, Black Friday PS5 TV deals, Black Friday PS5 headset deals, and Black Friday PS5 monitor deals as these are likely to be excellent this year, saving you money on every other part of your setup.
Check PS5 stock right now
US PS5 stock check links
- PS5 ($499.99): Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy | Target | GameStop | Newegg
- PS5 Digital Edition ($399.99): Amazon | Walmart | Target | GameStop | Best Buy | Newegg
UK PS5 stock check links
- PS5 (£449.99): Amazon | Very | John Lewis | Argos | Currys | eBuyer
- PS5 Digital Edition (£359.99): Amazon | Very | Argos | Currys | eBuyer
Australia PS5 stock check links
How to buy a PS5 on Black Friday
While sheer luck, timing, and speed do indeed help when it comes to PS5 restocks, there are now some established tactics that can definitely help you. These mostly come down to preparation that can help expedite your journey from seeing stock to checking out. Any of these will help a little, and all of them will help a bit, so they're worth a look when working out how to buy a PS5 on Black Friday.
Remember the price points
This seems a bit obvious, but given the year of inflated costs we have had and the deals that Black Friday represents, it seems worthwhile reiterating it all. And it'll clear up that console pricetag rise Sony brought in earlier this year.
So, on their own, the standard disc-drive PS5 should be no more than $499/£479 and the PS5 Digital Edition is $399/£389. If you're paying any more than these you absolutely should be getting more stuff thrown in and getting a bundle - be wary of stealthy scalper price inflation beyond these points. Those larger bundles are always more like to appear at the gaming-focused retailers like GameStop in the US and Game in the UK, but Black Friday could see others do the same as it's a surefire way to boost the profit margin on each console sold.
From the other perspective, the prices certainly won't come down either. There are no official discounts on the hardware yet, and any lower prices might be worthy of grave concern. Bundles may offer discounts, but you won't save money on the console itself, your extra value is likely to come from a few dollars or pounds shaved off some accessories, or at least a bundle where you might be able to sell things on yourself with no problems.
Be open to bundles
We are finally seeing more and more official bundles joining the party as well as those ones created by retailers themselves. These are great ways to (usually) save a bit of cash, but also get a head start with a game thrown in or some extra hardware too.
Yes, it'll likely mean pushing the budget a bit overall as the outlay will be more, but the value is definitely increased and maximised as a result. However, you can always just double check this by adding up the MSRPs of everything that's being thrown in too to see how much you're getting off. Some retailers will stick rigidly to a game's MSRP which is a bit lame, but often you'll get great value offerings.
Get signed in and save your details
To use a cliche - probably one of many on this page - every second counts when it comes to buying new-gen consoles, and that will be the case when trying to buy a PS5 on Black Friday. It can be the difference between success and rejoining the stock search queue.
Ensure you are signed into your favorite retailers when you begin your searches, saving your payment details and making sure they are up to date. This will make for a speedy and smooth checkout. Sounds easy, but it really can make the difference instead of fumbling around with credit cards and panicking about numbers being inputted correctly.
Remember stock and restock pages - like ours
Much like those initial months when social media was flooded with stock tracker accounts, we at GamesRadar have got quite good at it too, and would heartily recommend you book mark and regularly check in with our PS5 stock page.
We're constantly updating that - every day - and providing way more information than you'll get elsewhere online. We're dialled into this now - it has been two years after all - so can offer greater information and insight into where to go, where to check, what your cheapest options are, and more.
Don't forget your peripherals and accessories
Even if it all goes to crap in a crap bag, and picking up a PS5 itself proves to be just as difficult, we wholeheartedly recommend investigating what else you can buy in order to enhance your PS5 setup when you do get the console.
Extras like headsets, external hard drives or internal SSDs, games, and the range of official accessories should all see some form of discounts and deals over the Black Friday period, and will likely come down to some record low prices too. That makes them very worthwhile additions to keep your collection warm while you stay on PS5 restocks and news.
Where to buy a PS5
Where to buy a PS5 - USA
Where to buy PS5 - UK
If you're interested in happenings on the other side of the console canyon then get ready for the Black Friday Xbox Series X deals, Black Friday Xbox controller deals, and Black Friday Xbox headset deals.
And don't forget to further your research on the accessories and peripherals but checking out our guides on the best PS5 headsets and best TV for PS5. Equally, our PS5 SSD or best PS5 external hard drives guides may be of use if you're looking for bonus storage.
