After Sony’s unveiling of the PS5 during a digital event last month, consumers have been keeping a close eye on the ability to pre-order the upcoming system. Fans expected to be able to pre-order the machine recently, due to Amazon’s PS5 placeholder page going live, but unfortunately, we can’t quite place money down on a PS5 system just yet.
However, there are still some things you ought to know about PS5 pre-orders — whenever they do become available. In this guide, we’ll go through what you need to know about getting your hands on a PS5 at launch and what we know about pre-ordering.
Further reading:
- PS4 vs. PS5
- Xbox Series X vs. PS5
- Every confirmed and rumored PS5 game so far
You’ll be warned before pre-orders go live
With past console launches, buyers were left scrambling to get their hands on the latest and greatest machines. Sites crashed due to the number of people trying to pre-order, and many were left with only the option of buying the coveted systems on eBay at the hands of scalpers. Others might have totally missed the ability to pre-order due to being at work or otherwise not being aware. Luckily, it seems Sony and retailers have thought ahead. Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sony, Eric Lampel, explained that consumers would be notified and warned before pre-orders for the PS5 go live, giving us plenty of time to prepare. In other words, you won’t have to worry about missing the window — as we should know the exact date and time we’ll be able to pre-order.
In reference to the Amazon page we mentioned above, which sparked the idea that pre-orders would be available soon, Lampel said to Geoff Keighley of the Game Awards, “We don’t know what happened there. We had nothing to do with it. I got a message from someone saying people are lining up at stores, and we had no idea why. We’ll let you know when pre-orders will happen. It’s not going to happen with a minute’s notice. We’re going to, at some point, let you know when you can pre-order PlayStation 5.” So you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing you won’t miss the pre-order window.
We aren’t sure when this will be, or how the company will go about letting its audience know about pre-orders. It could be something that’s done via social media or as part of a bigger event, similar to a State of Play digital showcase, or the recent one in which Sony revealed the system.
Retailer pre-order notifications
Certain retailers will also give the ability to sign up for pre-order notifications, similar to the way some handled the consoles of the previous generation. Below, we’ll list known retailers with pre-order notification signups. Simply input your information, and when pre-orders go live, you’ll get an email from the retailer letting you know it’s time to buy:
- Sony
- Best Buy
- GameStop
- GAME
- Target
Availability
It also seems retailers will be limiting the number of PS5 consoles available to purchase at a time, at least if a supposed error found within the source code on the PlayStation Direct site is any indication. A user on ResetEra (as relayed by a Redditor) seems to point to an error message that reads “You can only purchase one version of the PS5 Console: Disc or Digital. You have already added one PS5 console to your cart.” While this leak is mostly unsubstantiated, it could mean Sony is cracking down on the system’s availability, regardless of which version you try to get. This leads many to expect retailers to do the same — limiting the number of PS5s you can pre-order. The supposed leak is in reference to PlayStation Direct only, but this could be the case across the board.
Recent Nikkei and Bloomberg reports also point to Sony increasing PS5 production by 50%, with an estimated 10 million units planned to hit store shelves by December 2020. This is apparently due to increased demand during the global COVID-19 pandemic. As Bloomberg notes, Sony started producing PS5s in June and “expects to assemble 5 million units by the end of September and another 5 million between October and December.” Again, this has not been confirmed by Sony, but given the two sources, it could very well be true.
Assuming pre-orders will be limited to one per household and the increase in production quantities, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get your hands on one this holiday.
Release date and price
The Game Awards creator and host, Geoff Keighley
Unfortunately, Sony has yet to reveal how much both versions of the PS5 will cost and when they will be available. The PS5 currently has a “holiday 2020” release window, but beyond that, its release date is unknown. Many suspect it will be made available to purchase in mid to late November, due to the release dates of multiple important games that will be available on PS5. For instance, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set to launch on November 17, while Cyberpunk 2077 is due out on November 19. History shows Sony likes to release its consoles in mid-November, judging by the launches of the PS3, PS4, and PS4 Pro.
It’s unclear how much the base PS5 and the Digital Edition will cost, but many are estimating they won’t come cheap. We can assume the Digital Edition will have the same internal specs as the base version, thus making it less expensive, but this hasn’t been confirmed. Some believe the base version will cost around $599 while the Digital Edition might be upwards of $499. Based on the chipset, solid-state drive, and processing power, these estimated prices aren’t outlandish. However much they cost, you shouldn’t expect to pay any less than $400, so we’d recommend to at least have that much set aside for when PS5 pre-orders go live.
As for games, we know certain titles like Madden NFL 21, Destiny 2, Far Cry 6, Marvel’s Avengers, and others will include free upgrades from the PS4 to the PS5 versions. But the availability of PS5 games is a bit more ambiguous, as are their prices. Recently, the community was up in arms about NBA 2K21’s $69.99 PS5 and Xbox Series X prices, though it might be a publisher-by-publisher basis, as Ubisoft confirmed its next-gen games would remain at $60 for the time being.