PS5, Xbox and early Black Friday deals will be in stock at Walmart – but you’ll need this first
PS5, Xbox and early Black Friday deals will be in stock at Walmart – but you’ll need this first
Here are the times for Black Friday deals and rare consoles
A confirmed PS5 and Xbox Series X restock is today, Monday, November 22, along with the first early Black Friday deals exclusive for Walmart+ members.
🚨 You need this paid Walmart+ membership to access the PS5 and Xbox Series X restock at 4pm ET, and to get a four-hour headstart on today’s early Black Friday deals at 3pm ET. It costs $13/mo or $98/yr and includes free shipping and other perks. But the 15-day free trial will not work.
I’m here to help save you time and money, so allow me to be curt at first, as per The Shortcut’s ethos:
Quick links
Walmart current best-sellers (I use this to gauge what’s hot)
Early Black Friday deals (W+ exclusive deals launch 3pm ET)
Walmart+ membership (bypasses the free trial, as the free trial won’t give you early access)
Baby deals (actual 👶s out of stock)
And here’s the quick schedule:
Today’s schedule
🎁 Now: I’ll begin my YouTube live stream Q&A session
I’ll start giving away stuff every hour of my live stream
I’ll give away 6 consoles: 2 PS5 Disc, 2 Halo Infinite Xbox Series X, and 2 Nintendo Switch OLED consoles during today’s live stream
3 can be won by 🇺🇸 military
3 are open to everyone
🛍️ 3pm ET/12pm PT: Walmart+ early Black Friday deals begin
🚨 4pm ET/1pm PT: PS5 Disc, PS5 Digital and Xbox Series X restock
⏲️ 6pm ET/3pm PT: The last hour of Walmart+ Black Friday deals
😴 7pm ET/4pm PT: Pause for deals to reset and open to everyone
🤗 8pm ET/5pm PT: Walmart deals open up to everyone
Do I really need Walmart+ for the restock?
Yes. You’ll need this paid Walmart+ membership. I know a lot of tech publications – including the biggest tech site out there – said that you could get the free trial and just cancel after buying the Xbox, but that’s untrue (and a lot of people used that information to DM me and argue against my valid reporting [How is The Shortcut beating the #1 tech publication out there on this story?]).
Walmart+ doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a console today, but your $13/mo or $98/yr will allow you to get a four-hour headstart on early Black Friday deals from Walmart that are exclusive to Walmart+ members.
In short: You have a 0% chance without Walmart+. You have a chance with Walmart+ paid membership.
Which consoles will be in stock at Walmart?
PS5 Disc, PS5 Digital and Xbox Series X will be in stock at 4pm ET today. There’s no word on Nintendo Switch OLED or the Halo Xbox Series X for today (though I’ll always be watching on Twitter). The Nintendo Switch bundled with Mario Kart and Nintendo’s online service at $299 will be on sale today during Walmart+’s exclusive window.
Do you personally have Walmart+?
Yes, I bought it during a PS5 restock a few weeks ago when it was required and I was able to secure the console for a giveaway. Again, buying into Walmart+ doesn’t mean you’ll get a console today, but it does seem to thin out the crowd of resellers.
I’m doing giveaways – I’ll never sell these consoles for any amount (that would allow scammers, who pretend to be me, to ‘sell’ consoles for $500 using my likeness and never ship the console to their victims – this happens a lot).
Any more tips for today?
Yes, here are some quick hits:
PS5 Digital is $100 cheaper but inventory is extremely limited at every retailer. Stick with PS5 Disc to better your chances
You’ll save $ in the long run, as games get cheaper faster on discs (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Sony, etc all compete) vs digitally downloaded games (a Sony monopoly)
Refresh with me on the YouTube live stream at 3:59:59pm EST. By crowd-sourcing the information with people, we’ll actually see when it’s in stock
I see more success on the live stream than on Twitter
Walmart has been using a queue system, which has always gone better when it’s exclusive to Walmart+ members, but sometimes it says ‘Sold out’ at the top of the page when it isn’t actually sold out. Don’t give up hope right away
There will be other restocks between now and Christmas – and I’ll help you until the PS5 and Xbox consoles are sitting on store shelves
Who can win the giveaway?
Last night, I gave away two consoles – PS5 Disc and Nintendo Switch OLED – to two army vets who entered my giveaway (randomly drawn). They both joined my live stream via FaceTime so the entire live chat could thank them for their service.
I have six more consoles to give away (2 of each type and, yes the Xbox Series X I’m giving away is the Halo-themed Xbox that I (and a good/very tired friend) waited 24 hours in line for at Best Buy last week).
Three can be won by military/vets/their fam, and the other three consoles can be won by anyone. The giveaway is free of charge and you never have to pay me.
Will there be other restocks and deals?
Yes, I’ll be covering all PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and GPU restocks this week, as well as spotlighting Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
It’s just that Walmart+ is today, kicking things off for what’s become Black Friday week, so they get the center stage for Monday. Expect Amazon and Best Buy to usher in their own epic deals later this week.
On my constantly updated PS5 restock page on The Shortcut, you’ll find that I explain that GameStop stores will have an in-person restock of the Sony console at many stores around the country. As per usual, GameStop will require you to buy a bundle (usually around $705 to $750 with the extras at face value).
Around 26 consoles have shipped to stores I’ve checked in with, though not all stores will get it, according to my helpful sources. For example, stores in malls that are closed for Thanksgiving won’t have a chance to sell consoles, so employees at those locations have told me they haven’t gotten console shipments.
How you can help The Shortcut
Subscribe (paid users can ask me questions in the comments) and refer The Shortcut to your friends
I want to meet you at the platform of your choice
Hey Matt, I don’t know if you know, probably, but haven’t seen anything except halo edition Xbox x’s. Microsoft sent out an email and I thought it was a scam. I work at their DC’s (no I don’t get info on stuff) so I called the number I know for sure is microsoft, they said it’s not a scam and for “non-bot” accounts. Told me it says sold out, but try anyway. Snagged a x box x, catch is, you have to buy a controller and a game so it came out to 644.83 all together. So I guess they are also doing an invite only? Just fyi for you and others. Thank you for all you’ve done man. I’d kiss you and ask you to marry me but I have a gf and I’m straight XD but seriously man. Thank you so much. Dropped a 20 2 streams ago and subbed to help support, I’m gonna pay it forward and hopefully my 2 email accounts I used when I had different PlayStations get the Sony invites, I’ll get the link and my info to some one on Facebook. Or a co-worker. Thank you. Much love! Stay golden! Peace