When will PS5 come back in stock in the UK?

The release date of the PlayStation 5 has finally arrived, with most shops selling out even before it had begun.

Now those many, many unlucky people who were unable to get hold of a console either through pre-orders or on release date are being forced to wait until more PlayStation 5s come in stock at retailers in the UK.

Adding to the frustration is a lack of clarity about how much more stock might be due to come, and when it might arrive. Some retailers have stressed that they will be receiving new PlayStations in the coming weeks, but not how many or how long that might take.

Overall, there is little information about when the PS5 might come back in stock in the UK – but there are clues about how it might become available, and the ways to best ensure you are among the first to get one.

Some retailers have been explicit and transparent about the fact that they are unlikely to get any PlayStation 5s back in stock soon. Visitors to the AO website, for instance, were greeted by a disappointing if honest message that reads: "We're really sorry but unfortunately we don't have any Playstation 5 consoles available for order at the moment and we won't be receiving any stock in the near future".

Curry’s – which had offered hope at the beginning of release date, by suggesting that it would have more consoles to sell in the morning, before postponing and then cancelling that launch – said that it was “working super hard to get more stock”, suggesting that it is still difficult for retailers to get hold of the consoles.

Others have offered more hope, however. Amazon, for instance, suggested to people who complained through its support page on Twitter that they might have some luck if they keep refreshing the page, though it did not say when stock would be coming back.

It is an indication, however, that retailers may come into stock unpredictably and without much notice, and that as a consequence getting hold of a console might be about luckily refreshing at the right time.

Sony has said very little about when the stock shortages could end, but Microsoft’s statements about the Xbox do not offer hope about the availability of next generation consoles. This week, Microsoft admitted that the Xbox Series X and S might not be widely available until April.

Microsoft indicated that the problems with the console were more about demand than supply, and a consequence that gaming is “exploding”, particularly as people are stuck in lockdowns. Those trends will presumably affect Sony, too, and so it is conceivable that the shortages could go on for months.

Sony did say, however, that it will be looking to push out more consoles in the months ahead of the end of the year. In September, when it was apologising for the chaotic pre-order process, it said that “more PS5s will be available through the end of the year”.