How To Improve Your Chances Of Scoring A PS5 Or Xbox Series X Before Christmas
The latest generation game consoles are some of the hottest selling items this year. Whether you are looking for a PlayStation 5 (with our without a baked-in optical drive), Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, your chances of waltzing into your local Walmart or Best Buy and walking out with one on a random basis are slim. What can you do?
Well, with Christmas now just a few days away, the odds of getting a next-gen console for the big day decrease with each passing moment. However, not all is lost, potentially. There are some things you can do to tip the odds ever-so-slightly, and perhaps snag one before a scalper can get their grubby hands on one, only to flip it for an inflated price on eBay or Craigslist.
Target And Walmart Rumored To Have PS5 And Xbox Series X Stock Periodically This Week
Target has been showing stock for the Xbox Series X off and on yesterday and today
Before going any further, I suggest hitting up Target's website on your phone or PC and checking to see if you can place an order for in-store pickup. Throughout yesterday and today, I've seen stock come and go for the Xbox Series X. This will vary by location, but this might be one of your best bets. At the time of this writing, I'm seeing the Xbox Series X in stock at my local store (screenshot above).
When I checked yesterday, it was available to purchase online and then pick-up at the store. Today, however, the option to secure an order online is no longer there, but according to the site, my local store still has some inventory available. So, check your location (or locations you are willing to drive to), and it couldn't hurt to call around and see if any stores would set one aside, if they have any stock (I'd suggest doing that before driving a long distance).
Antonline Will Have Small Batches Of PlayStation 5 Consoles Available This Week
Rumor has it that in addition to Target having Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 stock off and on this week, so will Walmart. So, keep checking there as well. In addition, Antonline said it will have small batches of PlayStation 5 consoles available, due to customers cancelling orders.
We will have small quantities of PS5 available throughout the week (due to order cancellations, etc). In an effort to get any remaining PS5's out to our followers ASAP, we will list them as they become available. We won't be posting these officially here but check our site often!
— antonline (@antonlinecom) December 21, 2020
"We will have small quantities of PS5 available throughout the week (due to order cancellations, etc). In an effort to get any remaining PS5's out to our followers ASAP, we will list them as they become available. We won't be posting these officially here but check our site often!," Antonline stated on Twitter.
It is a bit of a long shot, but then again, so is every other tip and trick, given how scarce (compared to demand) these consoles are at the moment.
Leverage Tracking Sites And Twitter Accounts To Stay On Top Of Next-Gen Console Availability
If you have a lot of spare time on your hands, you can sit all day in front of a screen and refresh product pages at Microsoft, Sony, Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and GameStop, but that is a time consuming (and frustrating) affair.
Instead of doing that (or in addition to doing that), set yourself up with various tracking sites and Twitter accounts. This will give you the best odds, though also bear in mind that everyone else will be seeing any potential stock alerts at the same time, and rushing to whichever site has stock available.
Some trackers and accounts to follow...
- https://www.nowinstock.net
NowInStock offers browser alerts/sounds, text messages, emails, Discord notifications, and Telegram messages to alert you when something is back in stock. This site is not limited to consoles, however, as you could set alerts for GPUs or anything else you may be hunting for. - https://www.popcart.com
Popcart offers a Chrome browser extension that sends users a notification for when consoles are back in stock. You can also use Popcart to compare prices of other items you are shopping for this holiday season. - https://www.zoolert.com/
Similar to NowInStock, Zoolert offers text, email, Discord, and browser alerts for items that come back in stock. They also have alerts for other products as well. - @PS5StockNews
Follow this account on Twitter to keep track of PlayStation 5 restocks at various places around the web, and maybe get lucky. - @Wario64
This account on Twitter has also been doing a splendid job of passing along restock alerts as they happen, for both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, as well as gaming deals in general. It's well worth a follow.
As we pointed out in a previous article on how to get your hands on a next-gen console, don't limit yourself to just the bigger retailer names, like Best Buy and Walmart. In the midwest, there is a chain called Meijer that is very similar to Walmart. If you live near one, or any store that carries electronics, it is worth popping in from time to time.
Good luck!
