The hunt continues. For anyone hoping that it would be easier to find a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X in the new year, we’re not off to a great start. Restocks have been as sparse as ever, leading to several “blink and you miss it” sales on new consoles.
Xbox Series X restocks have been especially light. While retailers like Antonline have had several PS5 restocks up in January, Microsoft’s console remains elusive by comparison. If you’re hoping to get your hands on a Series X in time for new exclusives like The Medium, here’s all the latest information.
Popfinder, Octoshop, and other tools to find Xbox Series X
For starters, you need to know how to find restocks in a timely manner. That’s a bit easier than it sounds thanks to the internet. There are several websites, Twitter accounts, and Google Chrome extensions that keep track of restocks for you. PopFindr is especially useful, as it helps you see the inventory at local stores if you’re hoping to pick a console up in person so you can play right away.
If you’re getting the console online, then an extension like OctoShop that’s also location-based and frequently checks several retailers. When it comes to Twitter accounts, we recommend setting notifications on @Wario64, who consistently tweets when new consoles become available. The Stock Informer Discord channel can also help you track restocks. You can forgo those options entirely if you want, but it means you’ll have to keep a close eye on restocks yourself.
Costco
Costco is the big name to watch right now when it comes to Series X restocks. The website has been putting bundles up over the past week. New stock went up on both January 12 and January 14, giving players hope that wider restocks are coming at other retailers soon.
There’s certainly a chance that Costco could put more up soon since they appear to be dropping consoles in waves. That said, there’s an equal chance that they’re done and won’t have new stock for a while because of that. There’s also the catch where you’ll need to be a Costco member to take advantage of this. If you are, set up an alert on the Series X page and hope for some more waves.
Microsoft Store
From here on out, things get a little grim. The Microsoft Store has been a great place to snag a Series X since it launched, but stock has slowed in recent weeks. Still, it’s worth staking the site out. The benefit here is that it’s coming directly from the source, so your order is less likely to get canceled or misplaced.
The main catch to order from here is that the Microsoft Store’s shipping can tend to be a little slower than other retailers. It took three weeks for one of our orders to arrive back in November. Still, it’s a reliable way to find one so you’ll want to heavily monitor the official Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S store pages.
Antonline
Since the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were released on November 10, Antonline has become a sudden power player in restocks. The company recently broke into mainstream consciousness with some left-field PS5 restocks, making them a retailer to watch. They aren’t as well known of a retailer as the Microsoft Store or Walmart, as they sell pricier bundles. An Xbox Series S bundle was available on January 7, which included an extra controller and 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for $404.97. You can expect more deals like that to spring up soon if the site’s current pattern holds up.
Walmart
As the biggest retailer in North America, Walmart has frequently restocked Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles since the launch in November. However, even it has slowed down a little, just as others have. The Series S has been available on their website as recently as 12:45 p.m. Eastern on December 23, 2020, so it’s been a while.
Despite the recent drought, Walmart is fairly consistent when it comes to restocks and they tend to give some advance notice. They’re a good retailer to keep watch on if you don’t want to set up a bunch of tracking: Simply follow them on Twitter. If you want to get your finger on the pulse, you might want to set up alerts on the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S pages.
Target
Target was the big retailer to watch heading into 2021. Restocks came through at the end of December following rumors that they were imminent. Twitter users shared screenshots of their successful Series X orders, which were supposedly available for in-store pick-up.
Since then, it’s once again been quiet on restock news there, so it seems like that was a one-off resupply. Still, it’s worth keeping your eye on both the Series X and Series S pages for updates. It’s been so long since a major refresh that something could feasibly happen there sooner than some other retailers.
GameStop
GameStop’s particularly worth following for Xbox updates because stock tends to hang around slightly longer compared to retailers like Amazon. GameStop has sporadically added console bundles to the website, where players can grab a console with some games or extra controllers packed in. Those deals tend to be an intimidating price, but that means they’re usually online a little longer. If the upfront investment isn’t a problem, it’s worth going that route to save yourself a headache.
The retailer last had a bundle available on January 7 at around 4 p.m. Eastern. Previously, consoles have gone online closer to noon, so it’s a little hard to predict what time to check in on them. The afternoon seems to be the trend, so keep an eye out as the lunch hour hits.
Best Buy
The last Xbox Series X or Series S popped up at Best Buy on January 5, so it’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen any movement there. That could mean that they may be due for a refresh sooner than other retailers. The only catch is that they tend to sell out particularly fast there, so you’ll face stiff competition.
While there are no official details, Best Buy usually announces restocks beforehand to give buyers advance notice of only a few hours. On one notable occasion, the retailer even provided a slight time window, saying the systems would be available after 9 a.m. Eastern, so it’s worth keeping an eye on its social channels for updates.
Amazon
It has been bizarrely difficult to get an Xbox at Amazon. The Series X and Series S appear to pop up at random and just as quickly come down. It’s hard to even tell when the last restock actually happened because of that. One of the last major ones appears to have happened on December 17 at around 11:30 a.m. Eastern, two days after a wider restock that hit most retailers on December 15. Considering how long the drought has been there, it might be a good excuse to stake it out. They have to add more eventually, right?
Newegg
Newegg has been a surprisingly good way to find an Xbox since it launched. Like GameStop, the retailer tends to put up larger bundles that feature bundled games and extras. Newegg’s last refresh came on January 12, making it one of the more recent sites to get new consoles. It’s worth setting up alerts on the Xbox Series X and Series S pages to make sure you don’t miss a less competitive rush at a less popular retailer.
Recent Comments