Walmart PS5 restock live soon – here's when you can buy a console

PS5 restock image for Walmart
(Image credit: Future)

The next PS5 restock at Walmart will get underway in just a matter of hours. It's been over two months since the retailer last had Sony's sought-after console for sale, but it finally will once again at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. You'll be able to buy the latest PS5 Horizon Forbidden West bundle for $549.

As you may know by now, only paid Walmart Plus members get exclusive access to this PS5 restock, so you need to sign up for the retailer's membership program in order to buy one. A free trial account is not eligible. That means you can either choose to get a 1-month of Walmart Plus membership for $12.95 – or commit to a whole year for $98.

PS5 restock at Walmart (August 23 from 3pm ET)

PS5 | Horizon Forbidden West: $549 at Walmart

PS5 | Horizon Forbidden West: <a href="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/565706/9383?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FPS5-Console-Horizon-Forbidden-West-Bundle%2F884437848%3Fathbdg%3DL2000" data-link-merchant="walmart.com"">$549 at Walmart
This new PS5 bundle will be available at Walmart on August 23 from 3pm ET / 12am PT – but will only be available to buy if you're a Walmart Plus member. It includes a PS5 and a copy of the popular PlayStation exclusive for $50 more than the console by itself. That's technically a small saving of around $20 off the full price of the game.

Walmart Plus: sign up for $12.95

Walmart Plus: <a href="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/565706/9383?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fplus" data-link-merchant="walmart.com"" target="_blank">sign up for $12.95
You need a Walmart Plus membership to get access to the retailer's next PS5 restock on August 23. Consoles will definitely sell out during this early access period so you need to be a member in order to have a chance of getting one. Unfortunately, a free trial doesn't count.

This Walmart Plus requirement is a frustrating restriction at a time when the availability of the PS5 is improving - albeit slowly. We're way past the days of bots and scalpers hoovering up PS5 consoles before legitimate buyers, but it still sells out rapidly so it's necessary at this time if you want to buy from Walmart.

Of course, you can cancel your Walmart Plus subscription immediately after this PS5 restock, but don't forget you get a whole host of other benefits with an active membership. These include free shipping, discounted fuel prices, six months of Spotify Premium and, from September, Paramount Plus for free.

Perhaps because of this membership restriction, Walmart has been one of the best places to buy a PS5 since the console launched in November 2020. It's still a chaotic rush, but it does tend to play out a lot better than previous free-for-alls at the likes of Amazon. As we've seen many PS5 restock events at the retailer, we have a few top tips that will give you the best chance of getting a console today.

Walmart PS5 restock - our top tips

First, double-check that your Walmart Plus membership is all set up and active well ahead of time. Attempting to sign up as we get closer to the PS5 restock this afternoon will be a challenge as the stress on the site increases and you may miss the opportunity to buy a console. And, of course, you should definitely log in to your account before the restock time as this removes another hurdle that could slow you down.

Second, as the time approaches, make sure the correct PS5 store page is open so you can refresh it a couple of minutes before the restock time. Walmart opens up a queue system just before consoles go live, so you'll want to get your spot as quickly as possible to increase your chances.

Lastly, if you can, an underused trick is to pay using PayPal as this will take you off Walmart's busy payment servers and decrease the chance of running into errors during the all-important processing stage. Traffic should be less than the peak, but it's still an extra way to give you the best opportunity to buy a PS5. We wouldn't want you to get right to the end and fail at the final step.  

We hope you're successful in securing a PS5 today after all that preparation. Whatever happens, we'll continue sharing any more PS5 restock news in the days ahead in case any other retailers have the console available to buy.

For those that do come away with a PS5, do take a look at any extras you might like to pair with your new console in our hub dedicated to all the latest PS5 deals. We also have more specific guides on where to find some PS5 game deals to get the best prices on the latest releases, a cheap PS5 controller if you want to get on some multiplayer action from day one and the best PS5 SSD deals to expand the storage space in your console for less.

James Pickard
Senior Deals Editor

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his own personal use, he decided to make it his job to share those bargains with you. James also has over five years of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.