Your ultimate guide to buying a PS5 from GAME

The Playstation 5 has been one of the most sought after products of 2021 and while stock levels are increasing, obtaining one can be a little tricky. I've found myself strangely interested in the tactics employeed by both retailers and shoppers. I'll probably write a bit more about this in the future but I did want to just post a quick guide for anyone who is looking to get a PS5 from any of the GAME stock drops.

For the record, GAME are just one of many retailers who are stocking the PS5. I'm only documenting them because they dropped while I was in a position to document the process fully.

Getting started

Stock is only available at certain times and you'll either need to be lucky or in a position to be in front of your computer and able to react quite quickly. The easiest way to be notified about new drops is to follow one of the many stock notification accounts on Twitter. @PS5StockAlertUK is a good option and has a nice little Discord server too. I recommend joining the server for useful additional tips!

When it drops...

When you're notified that stock is available, it is advisable to be quick. Stock can last for a couple of hours but it will depend on the volume available. To begin, you'll likely be dropped onto a page containing a list of products ranging from just the console to huge bundles.

Once you get here, you need to just select anything. Don't waste time looking at exactly what you want because it will delay you entering the queue and you'll be further down the line. If you immediately get through the product page - well done, however more likely than not you will enter a queueing system where you just need to be patient.

You're now waiting to get access to actually add products your basket. Be patient but don't just forget about it entirely! When it's your turn to visit the website, you'll be directly to the page you requested.

If you don't want to actually try and buy the product you originally selected, you can browse back to the console list page you were on earlier.

When you find something you want to try and buy, click the pink "Pre-Order now" button on the left side of the screen.

If the product is not in stock, you'll be told about it in a rather ugly message as shown below.

If you have tried a few other products, you may also get this infuriating message. This basically means you tried to add an out of stock product already and you now must wait for about a minute before trying again. Just be patient. I have no idea why GAME think such a restriction is useful in this situation.

If you are successful, the item will be in your basket! Your journey doesn't stop here though - you need to press on quickly through the checkout process.

Click the "Secure Checkout" button to continue. You'll be prompted if you want to login to your account or "Checkout as a guest". Choose the Checkout as a guest option! This may seem counter-intuitive but if you choose to login you may end up back in the queue again.

Quickly (but not so quickly you make a mistake!) enter your name, email, mobile number and then address.

You'll then need to choose which (absurd) paid delivery or collection option you want. I've heard from people who have chosen the "Collection" option that they aren't notified when the product arrives in store or it goes missing - your milage might vary. If you choose delivery, remember that whichever you choose it very likely won't come next day (or even that quickly at all).

Once you've gone through this process, you'll (hopefully!) receive a confirmation email from GAME confirming everything. This may take a little while to come through. Payment may also not come from the card until closer to the shipping date.

Hopefully this is helpful to some people!