Sony Direct PS5 restock today: what time and how to get the email invite

The PS5 restock at Sony Direct is today at 2pm EDT / 11am PDT – if you got the email invite to an exclusive virtual queue from the official PlayStation brand store. 

If you didn’t get the email invite, follow our PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider – follow and turn on notifications. Sony Direct is the online store that often (not always) opens up a second virtual queue for all registered PSN users at a later time. What time will Sony Direct do it if it happens? The most popular times in the latter half of 2021 have been 5pm EDT and 6pm EDT.

Our Twitter restock alerts will let you know. Matt Swider has helped 90,000 people buy a next-gen console via these alerts:

Here’s a prime example of what these crucial PS5 restock alerts look like:

Sony Direct restock time today

There are two times to check for the Sony Direct PS5 restock today. It all depends on whether or not you have the email invite from the console maker.

If you got the email invite, the virtual queue will start at exactly 2pm EDT / 11am PDT, according to the official email invite sent to hundreds of users. This is an exclusive PS5 restock, meaning your chances are much higher but you’re not guaranteed to be able to buy a console to checkout with it.

If you didn’t get the email invite, then look out for Matt Swider to tweet about a possible PS5 restock that’s open to everyone with an active PSN account. The time is less specific here, but in the latter half of 2021, it’s almost always started at 5pm EDT or 6pm EDT. It starts with a waiting room before launching everyone into a virtual queue that lasts about 30 minutes before Sony Direct completely sells out.

How to get the Sony Direct email invite

Obviously, the easier restock time is 2pm EDT during the exclusive virtual queue. As we’ve reported on in the past, getting that coveted email invite is mostly about luck, as it’s sent randomly to registered PSN users.

However, as outlined if you sign up for Matt’s crucial restock newsletter emails in the past, you can also open yourself up to marketing emails from Sony by diving deep into your PSN account settings: Account Settings > Notifications > Check the first item regarding receiving special offers from Sony.

Sony Direct PS5 restock tips

The best strategy tips we have for a Sony Direct PS5 restock really depends on when you’re buying the console. If it’s during the earlier exclusive email invite virtual queue, you want to ensure you only have one web browser opened. That’s because you’re logging into your PSN account ahead of time.

However, if you don’t have the Sony Direct email invite, you’re going through the virtual queue first and, if picked, then logging in. So opening up Sony Direct on as many different browsers and devices as possible will only increase your chances.

One of the people to get it from Matt Swider’s Twitter alerts can be seen below:

Will Sony Direct be the only PS5 restock this week?

We did see a small Target PS5 restock this week, but it happened at a local level and the American retailer only waited for a week-and-a-half between PlayStation 5 drops. That means there wasn’t a lot of PS5 inventory and most stores in New York and New Jersey, for example, didn’t seem to have any consoles on hand.

There is a GameStop Halo Xbox Series restock tomorrow for a ‘super bundle’ at 11am EDT, but there’s no PS5 restock news for GameStop this week. Sony Direct is the only announced restock, and even then it’s guaranteed for people with the email invites only