PS5 stock updates UK: Latest restock news from Game, John Lewis, Smyths, Argos and more

The PS5 has been out for almost two years now, and while stock issues have plagued the console ever since it launched in 2020, restocks have improved massively over the past few months. Then in August, Sony decided to take the unprecedented decision of increased the console’s price in the UK.

Just as the PS5 stock shortage woes were coming to an end in the UK, PlayStation announced that it would be increasing the price of both the PS5 disc and digital edition consoles by £30, and bundles are included in the price hike.

The price change came into effect on 25 August, with PlayStation’s CEO Jim Ryan blaming the price increase on the challenging economic environment. “We’re seeing high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends, impacting consumers and creating pressure on many industries,” he wrote in a blog post.

“Based on these challenging economic conditions, [Sony Interactive Entertainment] has made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price (RRP) of PlayStation 5 in select markets,” Ryan added.

Retailers are slowly changing their prices to reflect the new recommended retail price of £479.99 for the PS5 disc edition console and £389.99 for the PS5 digital edition console, but some have yet to do so. We’re continuing to track PS5 stock, and will be updating you with all the latest stock availability, with and without the price increase on this page.

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Where can you buy the PS5 right now?

As of 3 October, the PS5 is currently in stock at 8 different retailers, including Currys, Argos, PlayStation Direct, Scan, EE, Smyths Toys, BT Shop, Game and ShopTo. Most retailers have now put their prices up.

Retailers are starting to roll out PS5 pre-orders bundled with the new Fifa 23 game, including ShopTo, Currys, Game, PlayStation Direct, Argos, BT Shop,Smyths Toys, EE and Scan for both disc and digital edition consoles. PlayStation Direct has dropped a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II PS5 disc edition bundle. PS Direct currently has the PS5 disc edition console in stock on its own, without any accessories or add-ons.

Below, we’ve rounded up the retailers with PS5 consoles available to buy right now, from cheapest to most expensive.

Where to buy the PS5 disc edition console in the UK

Where to buy the PS5 digital edition console in the UK

When will the PS5 restock in the UK?

Check stock from US PS5 retailers below:

Where to buy PS5 in the UK

Each retailer has a different schedule for when they will drop the PS5 on their website, and below we’ve rounded up all the major ones, along with the best ways to get a console when they do end up arriving.     

Amazon

Amazon usually releases the PS5 disc edition before the PS5 digital edition, so be aware if you see one go live before the other. On 14 July 2021, Amazon made the console exclusively available to Prime members for the first time. It has only ever been available to buy if you’re a Prime customer ever since.

Then on 27 July 2022, Amazon switched over to a new invitation-only system for the PS5 disc edition console. Customers are encouraged to register with their Amazon account to receive an invitation and buy a console. If you receive an invitation, you have 72 hours to buy it before it is released to someone else.

Amazon has also changed how customers buy the PS5 disc edition console from its website. You now need to sign up for a chance to receive an exclusive invitation. When you’re sent one, you’ll be given 72 hours to buy the console before it is released to someone else. Invitations were last sent out on 26 September. Sign up today for a chance to get one in the next wave of invitations. 

Our top tips are:

AO

During previous drops at AO, customers have had to perform some coding gymnastics to secure the console. This isn’t necessary anymore, with demand for the console lower.

For posterity’s sake, here is what customers had to do to get the console into their basket. It takes a bit of effort, but many people have seen success using it when the console is live but showing “out of stock”. Note: This will only work when the PS5 product page is live on AO, and you’ll need to be using Google Chrome.

You can test this out with any item on AO’s website if you want a bit of practice before the next drop. AO usually drops stock between 9am and 11am in the morning. It’s expected to only have bundles in stock this time round.

Argos

Argos is one of a handful of retailers that have started allowing people to walk into its stores and order a PS5 console right from one of its tablets, but this can only be done when stock becomes available during a restock. It usually makes the console available online for people to buy with click and collect, with home delivery being a rarity.

Drops used to occur in the dead of the night between 1am and 5am, and go live region by region, but that seems to have changed as the stock situation subsides. Stock can drop at any time of the day now.

Asda

The last drop at Asda took place on 26 April and stock sold out within minutes. This was the second time Asda sold a PS5 bundle, which included Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. Drops usually take place between 8am and 9am. Asda isn’t the easiest retailer to secure a console from, but we do have a few tips.

Make sure to have all your payment details saved ahead of time and that you’ve added the console to your wish list. Sometimes you aren’t able to check out from the main PS5 landing page, but you are able to check out from your wish list.

BT

Since October 2021, only BT Broadband customers have been able to buy the console from the retailer. The retailer restocked the PS5 on 25 May, and it has been in stock ever since.

You need an access code to buy the console. If you’re a BT Broadband customer, this can be found on your MyBT portal. Just log in, scroll down to the “Your Offers” section and click on the PS5. 

You can also register your interest on the BT website. You’ll receive an email containing an access code that will take you directly to the order page where you can buy a PS5 when it goes live. It’s basically the same method as above, but with less steps. You’ll need your account details for both.

Currys

Currys used to use a PS5 VIP priority pass lottery to dish out its consoles in a fair way. Those selected would have five days to buy the console using a unique code, with redeemers receiving a call a few weeks later. The lottery ended at the start of June 2021, but people were still receiving codes up to the beginning of December 2021. Since then, general sale restocks have been happening frequently, with drops taking place several times a month and lasting days. This is usually because Currys stocks the most expensive bundles out of all the retailers.

EE

Only EE customers are able to buy a PS5 from the retailer, with eligible customers needing to be on a 12-month or longer contract. The network provider only sells the PS5 disc edition console (£40 a month for 11 months), but it also sells a bunch of different bundles.

Game

Game is one of the few retailers that have started selling consoles in-store, starting in June 2021. The retailer now runs a pre-order waiting list system. If you pop into your local Game, you can ask to be put on the list and you’ll get a call if you’ve been allocated a PS5.

The last time we checked, Game had the largest number of PS5 bundles out of all the retailers. The cheapest disc edition bundle came with a “Player1” T-shirt (£464.98, Game.co.uk). The most expensive disc bundle came with a dual sense controller and a pulse 3D gaming headset (£599.97, Game.co.uk).

At the start of June 2021, Game listed new Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart bundles on its website. A PS5 disc edition with a copy of Rift Apart cost £519.98 (Game.co.uk).

Game has pretty much had stock available online since mid-April 2022. The retailer added new Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West bundles on 10 March, with new digital edition bundles being added on 19 May. Game updates its PS5 bundles page with new release dates every few weeks, so it’s a good link to bookmark. It increased its prices by £30 on 26 August.

John Lewis & Partners

John Lewis & Partners restocks the console very infrequently, usually once every six to eight weeks. Restocks don’t tend to last very long, but they do always seem to drop between 7am and 8am in the morning. Restocks have been lasting longer since the retailer started bundling the console with other accessories and games, bumping up the price.

The retailer only appears to get a couple of thousand consoles or less each time new stock comes in, so we’re not expecting anything big the next time there’s a drop of the standalone console. When it happens, we recommend checking out via the app – people have seen more success through this method.

PlayStation Direct

On 10 November, The official Sony PlayStation Direct store launched in the UK for the first time. The website sells the console, accessories and more. The retailers’ first ever UK drop took place on 15 November at 10am.

Sony employs a queuing system, similar to most retailers, but it’s not first come first served, so everyone has a fair chance of securing the console no matter what time you entered the waiting room. The digital edition console usually sells out before the disc edition console.

Scan

Scan had one of the weirdest PS5 restocks we’ve ever seen on 10 September. It made a console bundle, which included a PS5 digital edition bundle with two dualsense controllers, a charging station and a pulse 3D wireless headset (£534.38, Scan.co.uk) available to buy through its live chat system. We first thought this was the new way retailers were trying to stop scalpers from stealing all the consoles, but Scan eventually went back to its normal restock pattern.

It waited more than seven months between that strange drop and its next one on 21 April 2022, when it released Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West bundles. Restocks now take place fairly frequently.

Smyths Toys

Smyths Toys usually has one or two restocks every month. Like Argos and Game, Smyths Toys has begun accepting in-store pre-orders. People are currently able to walk into their local Smyths Toys store and ask for a PS5, but only when a drop is taking place.

Smyths isn’t the easiest retailer to secure online stock from, with consoles usually being pick-up only. Its website doesn’t always show the PS5 as being in stock on the website either, with the retailer neglecting to update the product page.

Tesco

“Where the heck is the Tesco PS5 restock?” we hear you cry. The last time Tesco had a restock was on 15 March 2021. It’s been so long that PS5 stock trackers have stopped predicting Tesco drops altogether, since they never materialise.

The last rumoured date for a Tesco drop was 2 June 2021, with stock trackers claiming that it received a shipment in late May 2021. The retailer may potentially have a huge batch of consoles and is just waiting for the perfect time to release them. It’s the longest a single retailer has gone without a drop.

Very

Very is one of the most reliable retailers when it comes to PS5 stock drops. It has pretty much had stock available to buy since the start of May 2022, with Ratchet & Clank and Horizon Forbidden West bundles featuring widely. The retailer increased its prices by £30 on 26 August.

Our top tip for Very is not to leave the queue when stock goes live, or you will have to queue up again. The same goes for refreshing the page – don’t do it, no matter how tempting it is to press that button! Stock usually drops between 9am and 10am in the morning.

How much is the PS5?

The PS5 disc edition used to cost £449.99 and the PS5 digital edition used to cost £359.99, but as of 25 August, Sony has increased these prices by £30. The PS5 is now more expensive than the Xbox series X, costing £479.99 vs the series X’s £449.99. The digital edition PS5 now costs £389.99, that’s significantly more expensive than the Xbox series S, which still costs £249.99. If you want more information on the differences, you can read our comparison of the Xbox series x and PS5, which has all the details.       

On 19 May, Sony released its first official PS5 bundle package, and it is now the console bundle that most retailers opt for when they restock the next-gen machine. It comes with Horizon Forbidden West. Sadly, this bundle has also increased by £30, and costs either £439.99 for the digital edition console or £529.99 for the disc edition console. Some retailers are still selling the standalone console and bundles for the old price, and we’ve highlighted which ones above.

When was the PS5 released?

The PS5 was released on 19 November 2020 in the UK and sold out instantly. Some of the people who pre-ordered the console on Amazon found themselves greeted with not a shiny new PS5, but a bag of grain, a grill or some cat food instead. Despite being out for more than a year now, the PS5 is still extremely difficult to find.

Can you play PS4 games on the PS5 and is the PS5 backwards compatible?

You sure can! The overwhelming majority of the PS4 games you own are playable on the PS5. You’ll be able to download any games you bought through the PlayStation store on your PS4 and play them on the next-gen console.

If you’ve got the disc edition of the PS5, you’ll also be able to insert your PS4 discs into it and play them that way, too. Obviously, because there’s no physical disc slot on the digital edition of the console, you won’t be able to play any PS4 discs you own. We’ve compiled a list of our favourite PS4 games, and most of them have dropped in price since the PS5 came out.

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For more on the PS5, why not check out our review, or our round-up of the best game consoles of 2022?