After the release of the PlayStation 4 in the year 2013 has caused chaotic conditions in Media Markt branches, Sony has now announced that the PlayStation 5 will be available on the day of release (19. November 2020) can only be purchased in the online shops of the trading partners. The company cites the ongoing corona pandemic as the reason. The consoles that have already been pre-ordered are also currently only picked up at the GameStop branches by appointment. This is to prevent large numbers of visitors, especially in small stores, at peak times, such as around lunchtime.

However, it is currently unclear whether the retailers will offer orders with a prompt delivery date on the day of publication. Due to the numerous pre-orders, it can be assumed that from 19. November 2020 only consoles with a delivery date at the end of December 2020 or at the beginning of January 2021. It is also to be expected that the number of available next-gen consoles will be severely limited here as well. Thus, all potential buyers should strike promptly, as the PlayStation 5 will be sold out within a very short time.

The situation will only improve in March 2021 expected. However, should the corona pandemic cause another lockdown in the coming year, demand is likely to continue to rise and ensure poor availability next year as well. The situation is currently not easing due to the continuing increase in the number of infections in both Europe and the United States of America. In addition, there is the high-turnover Christmas business, in which, in addition to smartphones and other electronic devices, video games are very likely to be very popular this year. There was already strong interest in the Nintendo Switch at the beginning of the year, which meant that the Nintendo console was largely sold out.