PS5: 'Absolutely everything is sold' — so when is stock coming back?

PS5
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

We’ve got some bad news for you: you might not get a PS5 in time for Christmas as Sony has said that it's completely sold out of it’s next-gen console. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan told Russian news outlet TASS that “absolutely everything is sold out” and how the company will try and ramp up console supply.

It looks like these shortages won’t be going away anytime soon, but there is still hope for holiday shoppers. 

“Everything is sold. Absolutely everything is sold,” Ryan explained. “And everything will be sold in Russia, there’s no doubt about that. I’ve spent much of the last year trying to be sure that we can generate enough demand for the product. And now in terms of my executive bandwidth I’m spending a lot more time on trying to increase supply to meet that demand.”

It’s difficult to tell when there’ll be a surge in supply. So far, any retailers with new stock tend to sell out of PS5 in mere minutes; such is the crazy-high demand for both the standard and Digital Edition of the PS5. 

Your next chance to buy PS5

We have a dedicated where to buy PS5 hub tracking stock updates and the retailers selling Sony’s new console. But try as we might, we've not been able to find any U.S. or U.K. retailer with consistent PS5 stock. 

However, Walmart will have more PS5 in stock November 25, starting at 9 pm ET. And other retailers should have supply in time for Black Friday deals. But we suspect those stocks will be limited and will sell out extremely fast.

We also advise that you sign up for in-stock alerts from those retailers that offer them. And it wouldn't hurt to follow certain Twitter accounts that are in the know, such as  @PS5StockAlerts and @Wario64.

Overwhelming demand 

Despite having only a few exclusive games, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales, at launch the PS5’s popularity has been overwhelming. Not only is it an impressive games machine but the PS5 is the upgrade path for a huge PS4 user base. Global sales of the PS4 are in excess of 113 million units, meaning there’s a vast amount of PlayStation fans likely keen to step up to the PS5.

“All history indicates that the initial cohort, from the launch to Christmas, about three quarters will be upgraders from the PS4,” Ryan explained. “And the remaining 25% will either come to us from another console, or will come from outside the console ecosystem. So, the great majority of those who buy a PS5 will have a PS4.” 

So it’s no wonder that the PS5 is so popular. That being said, it’s just as difficult to find an Xbox Series X  - check out our where to buy Xbox Series X article for more details - as that’s sold out very quickly as well. 

In short, the appetite for next-generation game consoles is huge and doesn't seem like it's going to be satiated anytime soon, as both Microsoft and Sony are struggling to get out console stock to retailers and into the hands of hungry gaming fans. 

Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.