Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s becoming ever-so-slightly less of a maddening exercise to get your hands on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Granted, it’s still harder than it should be, but recent retailer restocks have taken longer to sell out than they used to. So, here’s hoping that you’re able to purchase whichever console you want during tomorrow’s restock at Walmart, which is specifically for paid Walmart Plus subscribers.
Starting at 3PM ET / 12PM PT on Thursday, January 13th, Walmart will offer the $499.99 PS5 with a disc drive, the $399.99 PS5 console that can only play digital titles, as well as the $499.99 Xbox Series X. These consoles will be available to non-trial Walmart Plus members, meaning you actually have to opt-in to pay Walmart for the service to get access (here’s where you can sign up for Walmart Plus). Though, Walmart is calling these “early access” deals, perhaps suggesting that they’ll open up to non-Plus customers after a window of time. In the past, the window of exclusivity has been three hours.
To ease the checkout process, make sure you have your shipping and payment info ready to go ahead of time.
Some essentials for PS5 owners
In case you plan to get lucky with buying a console today, there are several excellent games and accessories that we recommend. Starting with games, head over to this list to see the PS5’s best games of 2021.
Getting an Xbox Series X? Check out these add-ons
If you’re on team Xbox, you may already know about Game Pass Ultimate, which gives you discounts, access to the ever-expanding catalog of Game Pass games, along with online multiplayer. You may never need to pay full price for a game for your new console. Though, whether you do want to pay full price or you just need some ideas on what to play, check out the Xbox’s best games of 2021.