With both Black Friday and the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 around the corner, console shortages have been in the news lately.
Xbox head Asha Sharma recently said there’s more demand than Xbox consoles available, and Microsoft told Xbox owners to trade in their dusty consoles. Meanwhile, over on the other side of the aisle, Sony wants to buy your PS5 for $400, and anyone in the market for a PS5 Pro may have to shell out as much as $1,400 to a reseller to get one.
Console stock must be getting pretty dire, right? To answer that question, I visited all the major online retailers to see what the status is surrounding console availability. And what I found was, with the exception of the PS5 Pro, every current model of every current console is widely available at manufacturer-suggested retail price (MSRP).
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Now, that doesn’t mean that’s how things will stay as GTA 6 and Black Friday creep nearer. And it’s worth noting that those MSRPs have gone up in recent years. But at least at this pre-Black Friday, pre-GTA 6 moment in time, it’s not hard to find a new game console at retail price – unless you want a PS5 Pro. Let’s take a look at where things stand with every current model of every game console.
PS5 Pro Is Sold Out
PS5 Pro (SOLD OUT)
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To kick things off, yes, new PlayStation 5 Pro consoles are sold out everywhere. You can still get a used one at eBay or marked up by third-party retailers at some of the links above, but they cost around $1,500, so buy at your own risk. Moving on…
PS5 with Disc Drive
PS5 Digital Edition
PS5 Digital Edition (825GB – Slim)
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As you may have heard (in the previous blurb), Sony is doing away with discs starting in January 2028. If you’re ready to embrace that digital-only life, feel free to grab this one. At $599.99, it’s pretty much a steal in this (horrible) economy. However, it’s worth noting that Amazon and GameStop are currently sold out of new stock of this model, while other retailers have it in stock.
Xbox Series X (with Disc Drive)
Xbox Series X (1TB with Disc Drive)
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The standard Xbox Series X with a disc drive is available at most retailers. It’s worth noting that both Target and Microsoft are currently sold out, which could be what Sharma was referring to in her comments about supply not being able to keep up with demand.
Xbox Series X (All-Digital Edition)
Xbox Series X (1TB All-Digital Edition – Robot White)
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We’ve seen a lot of evidence over the years suggesting Xbox console sales are lagging badly behind PS5. The most recent hint that this is the case came from Capcom, which says only 8.6% of Resident Evil Requiem sales were on Xbox. But if you’re willing to throw in with Microsoft anyway, you can get an Xbox Series X at MSRP at most of the usual retailers, with the exception of Xbox directly.
Xbox Series S (512GB)
Xbox Series S (512GB)
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The slightly less powerful Xbox Series S is available in two models that are identical in all ways except the amount of storage that comes in them.
Xbox Series S (1TB)
Xbox Series S (1TB)
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The same goes for the digital-only (and less powerful) Xbox Series S. It’s available at MSRP pretty much everywhere consoles are sold.
What About Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2
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Nintendo seems to have plenty of Switch 2 consoles on hand, but if you’re curious about how much it costs and where to get it, you can check out the links above. Like PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, it’s widely available at MSRP.
With all that said, if you’re considering picking a new game console this holiday season, you may want to do it sooner rather than later. It’s absolutely quite possible that Sony and Microsoft are simply looking ahead at the Black Friday sales rush when issuing their warnings about stock. It’s possible a bunch of GTA 6 fans will rush out to get a console when the game launches on November 19 (preloads start November 10, by the way).
And it’s looking like RAMageddon will only get worse in 2027, meaning we could see further console shortages or price increases in the near future. So grab a console if you need it, because they’re readily available at the time of this writing.
Chris Reed is a senior commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s LEGO coverage and maintains the upcoming release dates articles for video games, LEGO sets, and 4K Blu-rays. You can follow him on Bluesky.