GameStop Has Limited PS5, Xbox Series X Stock In Stores For Black Friday Today

If you missed your chance to snag a PS5 or Xbox Series X at launch, you have another chance this week during Black Friday 2020. However, one of the only in-store options for purchasing the console evidently required waiting in line for a ludicrously long time. GameStop has confirmed it would have limited stock of the PS5 and Series X and S in stores only on Black Friday, which is today. Given that GameStop is the only major retailer doing in-store orders on Black Friday for the systems, it was a very popular destination, and we've already heard reports of more than a dozen people waiting outside the stores eight hours before they opened.

GameStop stores opened at 7 AM local time on Black Friday, and all stores had a minimum of two PS5 and two Xbox Series X consoles at opening, according to the ad. A press release confirms the Series S is available as well, but the PS5 Digital is not shown or explicitly mentioned, so it's unclear if that system is widely available. Microsoft recently partnered with GameStop on digital game purchases from its consoles, so this could explain the discrepancy, but we suggest calling your local store for availability--and please wear a face mask if you head there in person.

GameStop Black Friday PS5 and Series X restock

• Date: Today, November 27
• Time: 7 AM local time
• Where: In-stores only

Microsoft recently partnered with GameStop to supports its sale of digital systems. The retailer will receive a share of digital revenue earned on systems sold in its stores. There is not a similar deal in place with Sony. Thus far, however, GameStop stores seem to have received greater allotments of the Xbox Series X and the standard PS5 than their disc-free counterparts.

Depending on your area, however, it could be too late. One prospective PS5 owner attempted to wait at 12 different GameStop stores beginning late Thanksgiving night and found huge lines had already formed at them all.

When others skipped the holiday completely and even brought a mattress and bedding to sleep on while they waited, it's tough to imagine the average customer will have too much luck.

GameStop's move to offer in-store-only console orders on one of the busiest shopping days of the year is in stark contrast with what we've seen at other retailers recently. Sony announced all launch day PS5 orders would be online-only due to safety precautions around the COVID-19 pandemic, and though Best Buy's Black Friday ad also features the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the consoles will be restricted to online purchases only when they're back in stock. It has been extremely difficult to find a console during the online-only restocks thus far. In the case of Walmart, they've gone out of stock almost instantly and have even caused the entire Walmart website to slow to a crawl or crash. Actually securing one seems to come down to luck as much as anything else.

If you do decide to head to your local GameStop today and manage to secure a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, you'll have several payment options available. These include traditional layaway, where you reserve the console at the store until you pay it off completely; installment plans that let you pay off your purchase in four installments over six weeks; and rent-to-own, which allows you to take the console home with "minimum upfront money" and pay it off within one to 12 months. You also retain the option to return it at any point. In Microsoft's case, it is also offering the Xbox All Access deal at several retailers, letting you pay monthly installments for two years to receive an Xbox Series X or S with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The monthly fee is $25 for Xbox Series S and $35 for Xbox Series X.

Check out our PS5 buying guide and Xbox Series X buying guide for more info on when and where to find the next-gen consoles in stock during launch week and beyond. Plus, catch up on all the latest Black Friday 2020 news and deals, including GameStop's Black Friday sale and other upcoming sales at Best Buy, Walmart, and Target as the Black Friday countdown continues.