Photo Credit: Akhil Arora/Gadgets 360
PS5's end-of-the-year restock is here. Today at 12pm noon, the Rs. 49,990 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray-equipped variant of Sony's elusive next-gen console PlayStation 5 will be up for pre-order in India. This is only the 11th time the PS5 has been made available in India, since its launch back in February. If you are trying to buy PS5 online, you can do that on Amazon, Croma, Flipkart, GameLoot, Games The Shop, Reliance Digital, Sony Center, and Vijay Sales. Of course, whether you actually land one is the bigger question, given Sony India struggles to secure enough PS5 stock for India, month after month. Industry insider Rishi Alwani, formerly of Gadgets 360, has noted that the December 28 PS5 restock will be more limited than usual. That does not bode well for those looking to buy PS5 today.
Unfortunately, that is far from the only hassle with buying a PlayStation 5 in India. Every single time, several online retailers have shown themselves to be unable to handle the load. Croma and Games The Shop are routine offenders — even Amazon has had trouble once or twice. Additionally, Croma, Flipkart and Reliance Digital are also known for cancelling PlayStation 5 pre-orders due to their own technical challenges. And while restrictions on deliveries have eased, Sony Center website ShopAtSC continues with its boilerplate: “We intend to deliver your allocated stocks around 12th January 2022 and onwards — however please expect a delay in our delivery services which might get impacted due to regulations imposed by lockdown/ curfew in your locations.”
While the rest of the official PS5 online retailers — Amazon, Croma, Flipkart, GameLoot, Games The Shop, Reliance Digital, and Vijay Sales — haven't given us shipping dates, expect them to be in line with Sony Center's estimates. In fact, it might even be earlier than January 12. For the June, July, August, and October PlayStation 5 restocks, several customers reported on groups and forums that their PS5 pre-orders were shipped prior to the announced shipping date.
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Sony India's retail shops, Sony Center, have their own website through which you can buy PlayStation 5. ShopAtSC offers free home delivery from the nearest Sony Center, but you can also choose to pick up from the nearest store starting January 12.
You will need an account to buy the PS5 from ShopAtSC. Create one in advance to speed up checkout. If you previously bought a PS5, you won't be able to buy another from the same account, ShopAtSC says. The site does have a notify me button in case you want to set that up.
ShopAtSC offers low-cost EMIs on select credit cards, and easy EMI options on most debit and credit cards.
Buy PlayStation 5 at ShopAtSC
The PS5 restock is also available on Amazon's India affiliate that will offer free home delivery across India. You don't need to be an Amazon Prime member to get free delivery.
You will need an account to buy the PS5 from Amazon. Create one in advance to speed up checkout.
Amazon offers no-cost EMI on select cards, and easy EMI options on most debit and credit cards. You can get 5 percent unlimited cashback with the Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit card, and 10 percent instant discount up to Rs. 1,000 with Axis Miles & More credit cards.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Amazon India
Mumbai-headquartered Vijay Sales is also offering the PS5 on its website — its stores have also opened up across India. It too will offer free home delivery on every purchase.
You do not need an account to buy the PS5 from Vijay Sales, but you will need to provide your mobile number and email address as a guest.
Vijay Sales offers 7.5 percent cashback up to Rs. 5,000 on EMI transactions with American Express credit cards, 5 percent cashback up to Rs. 2,000 on RBL credit and debit cards, and EMI transactions with Bank of Baroda credit cards.
There are easy EMI options on HDFC Bank debit cards and select credit cards. You can also earn Rs. 375 as part of the complimentary MYVS Rewards programme.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Vijay Sales
Walmart-owned Flipkart also has PlayStation 5 restocked for pre-orders in India. It will also offer free home delivery across India.
It's worth noting that Flipkart has had trouble servicing both PS5 and Xbox Series X pre-orders in the past, with customers claiming they were bullied by Flipkart Support to cancel their orders.
You will need an account to buy the PS5 from Flipkart. Create one in advance to speed up checkout.
Flipkart offers 5 percent unlimited cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank credit cards, and 10 percent instant discount on Punjab National debit and credit cards. There are also easy EMI options on most debit and credit cards.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Flipkart
Tata-owned Croma will also offer the PS5 online. Its stores are now open in most places, but PlayStation 5 can only be pre-ordered on its website. Free home delivery will be available for every order.
You will need an account to buy the PS5 from Croma. Create one in advance to speed up checkout.
Croma offers 5 percent cashback up to Rs. 2,500 on EMI transactions with Citi Bank credit cards, and 5 percent instant discount up to Rs. 2,000 on Citi Bank debit and credit cards. Croma offers easy EMI options on most credit cards as well.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Croma
Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Digital will also offer the PS5 in India. All orders will qualify for free home delivery.
It's worth noting that Reliance Digital had trouble servicing both PS5 and Xbox Series X pre-orders, going so far to cancel many orders because it had overbooked.
You will need an account to buy the PS5 from Reliance Digital. Create one in advance to speed up checkout.
Reliance Digital offers 10 percent cashback up to Rs. 10,000 (on cart value more than Rs. 50,000) on EMI transactions with ZestMoney, 7.5 percent discount up to Rs. 5,000 on American Express cards, and 10 percent cashback up to Rs. 2,500 with OneCard credit cards. You can also avail easy EMI options with most popular banks.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Reliance Digital
Known reseller GameLoot is also offering the PS5 on sale. It too offers free home delivery all over India.
You do not need an account to buy the PS5 from GameLoot, but you will need to provide an email address and phone number. GameLoot offers a notify-me option that will alert you when the restock happens.
Buy PlayStation 5 at GameLoot
Dedicated games store Games The Shop will let you pre-order the PS5, replete with free home delivery across India. If its website manages to stay up, that is.
You do not need an account to buy the PS5 from Games The Shop, but you will need to provide an email address. It too has a notify me button for stock availability.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Games The Shop
PS5 vs Xbox Series X: Which is the best "next-gen" console in India? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
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