Best Buy first ever in-store PS5 restock is today — here’s the times and locations

PS5 restock
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Update: If you missed Best Buy's in-store drop, a Walmart PS5 restock is happening tonight (Sept. 23) at 9 p.m. ET. The console restock will last for an hour with new inventory released every 10 minutes. 

Best Buy hadn't held a PS5 restock since mid-August, but that is no longer the case. Today (Thursday, September 23), the retailer is offering limited quantities of the PS5, PS5 Digital, and Xbox Series X in select stores only. 

The news was originally reported by TechRadar and Best Buy has confirmed it via a blog post. This means that in order to purchase a console in this Best Buy PS5 restock you’ll need to visit a physical retail store but you'll need to get down fast the lines are already forming. 

According to Best Buy's blog post, this PS5 drop is available nationwide including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Best Buy employees will begin handing out tickets at 7:30 am local time. You'll get one ticket for the console you wish to buy. 

You can check the full list of which stores are participating on the Best Buy website. This allows you to check if your local store will have stock before you venture out and get in line, which is very useful. Stores on the East Coast have already started handing out tickets, but if you live on the West Coast there's still time to get over to a local store before all the stock is gone. 

You won’t be left out if you want an Xbox Series X either. Best Buy is also holding an Xbox Series X restock in-store at the same time. This drop will be the retailer’s first in-store PS5 restock of 2021, as all it's previous restocks have all been exclusively available online. 

There is a range of pros and cons when it comes to in-store restocks. While resellers aren’t able to deploy online scalper bots, in-store drops can lead to some quite unsavory scenes as witnessed when Best Buy held one for the coveted Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card earlier this year — be prepared to deal with line cutters! 

If you’d rather not venture into a physical store in order to purchase a next-gen console or have missed your chance to get in line already, then make sure to bookmark our PS5 restock and Xbox Series X restock hubs. These comprehensive guides are updated daily with the latest stock information and tips.

PS5 tracker — stores to check

Rory Mellon
Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.