Sony Confirms PS5 Units Won't Be Available In-Store On Launch Day

Fans usually camp out and line up outside local stores the night before a much-awaited console's release. It won't happen this time, however, as Sony already made an announcement that PS5 sales would only be done online that no stocks would be available in-store on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19.

On its official blog, SIE Content Communications Senior Director Sid Shuman announced that the PS5 would not be sold in retail stores on launch day to protect gamers, retailers and staff from COVID-19. The executive also encouraged fans and gamers to stay home and place their orders online instead of visiting a local store to make a purchase. Preorder customers could still visit their local retailers and pick up the PS5 at their appointment time while observing the retailer’s safety protocols, the SIE executive noted.

In October, Sony Interactive Entertainment President Jim Ryan shared in an interview that PS5 preorder demand has been “very very considerable.” To put the executive’s words into perspective, it only took 12 hours for PS5 preorders in the U.S. to match 12 weeks' worth of PS4 preorders.

Meanwhile, major U.S. retail corporation Target recently confirmed that Sony’s next-generation gaming console would be available in-store on launch day.

The announcement was made on the retailer’s official Twitter account in response to a fan’s inquiry about the console’s availability in its physical stores. Target answered that the PS5 would be available in-store on Nov.12. However, subsequent texts noted that potential buyers could not simply visit the store to buy a unit.

Instead, interested parties must purchase the console online and choose the store’s location where they want to claim their PS5. Target did not mention, however, if it would cater to home deliveries. Additionally, it did not indicate the specific time that the console would go on sale on Nov. 12.

With Sony’s recent announcement, it is highly likely that Target and other retailers across the U.S. and the U.K. would devise something to facilitate smooth pickup of the PS5 on launch day. Retailers with physical stores could release Sony’s highly anticipated gaming console by batch.

The PS5 is scheduled to arrive on Nov. 12 in the U.S., Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Singapore. The rest of the world can get their hands on the next-generation gaming console on Nov. 19.