PS5 will be in stock at Target on launch day –...

It’s a tough time finding a PS5, but there is some hope on the horizon. Although pre-orders for Sony’s next console have been sold out for weeks, we expected some consoles to hit store shelves on launch day.

Now we have confirmation – at least from Target. If you want to brave the hungry crowds on November 12th, you may find a PS5. However, if earlier console launches are any indication, inventory is limited. So use your discretion.

Information comes from the official Target Twitter account. A user named @packbeater (in a since-deleted tweet) asked when the popular retailer would be putting PS5s on sale. The answer was quite simple: “Available in store on November 12th, 2020.”

Additional answers further down in the thread added clarity. While consoles will be available in-store, customers cannot just hop in and pick one up. Instead, they have to buy the console online and then choose to pick it up in store.

It’s not clear if Target will be selling additional home delivery consoles, but it doesn’t seem to be ruled out. In either case, the company cannot confirm a point in time to sell the consoles. So if you want a console, it’s best to launch the page on Thursday morning and update it regularly.

For intrepid shelf hunters, there is good news, but small: once the initial wave of orders subsides, Target sells any leftover consoles right on the shelves without the need to order online. If history is any clue, it probably won’t happen until mid-December or even late January, but it’s probably good to know as the holidays get closer. If you absolutely can’t find a PS5 online, you can always duck into a target and hope for the best.

However, if you’re speaking as someone who has danced the console launch many times, it’s not worth obsessively looking for a system on launch day. The best scenario is that after a lot of stress you find one; The worst scenario is that you go home defeated and exhausted. If you have a PS4, you can play the vast majority of PS5 launch titles anyway – and if you don’t, many of the fall’s biggest releases will also be available on Xbox One and PC. By January, the PS5 will likely be a lot easier to find, and pick one up at your convenience – with no compulsory website updates or stomping through empty electronics sections.

However, if you want a PS5 and you have a destination nearby, it can’t hurt to open up the Target website on November 12th, update it a few times, and see what you get. The odds are not good, but someone will succeed. why not you?