PlayStation 5 is back, again. Today at 12pm noon, both variants of Sony’s next-gen console — the Rs. 49,990 Blu-ray-equipped PS5, and its Rs. 39,990 disc-less counterpart PS5 Digital Edition — will be up for pre-order in India. Amazon, Croma, Flipkart, Games The Shop, Prepaid Gamer Card, Reliance Digital, Sony Center, and Vijay Sales will be involved — and both PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition will be available across the board, platform no bar. Unfortunately, the biggest worry continues to be the minimal PS5 stock that Sony India is able to manage for India, month over month. The July 12 PlayStation 5 restock will be just the fifth time — third for PS5 Digital Edition — the flagship console is being made available for pre-order, and Sony has been unable to serve its fanbase properly.
If only that were the only hassle with buying a PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition in India. Every single time, several online retailers have shown themselves to be unable to handle the load. Croma, Games The Shop, and Prepaid Gamer Card are routine offenders — even Amazon had trouble last time around — and Croma along with Flipkart and Reliance Digital are also known for cancelling PlayStation 5 pre-orders afterwards — due to their own technical challenges. At least restrictions on deliveries have eased. Though Sony Center website ShopAtSC continues with that boilerplate: “We intend to deliver your allocated stocks around 21st July, 2021 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 crowd — Amazon, Croma, Flipkart, Games The Shop, Prepaid Gamer Card, Reliance Digital, and Vijay Sales — hasn’t given us shipping dates, expect them to be in line with Sony Center’s estimates. If you are lucky, it might even end up being earlier. For the June PlayStation 5 restock, several customers reported on groups and forums that their PS5 pre-orders were shipped much before the announced shipping date.
PlayStation 5 Review: New Era, Half Jump
How to pre-order PS5 on ShopAtSC
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 from July 21 onward. If they are open where you live.
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 or PS5 Digital Edition, 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.
Shop at SC offers low-cost EMIs on select credit cards, and easy EMI options on most debit and credit cards.
Buy PlayStation 5 at ShopAtSC
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at ShopAtSC
How to pre-order PS5 on Amazon India
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 or PS5 Digital Edition from Amazon. Create one in advance to speed up checkout.
Amazon offers no-cost EMI on HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, and SBI Bank 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.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Amazon India
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at Amazon India
How to pre-order PS5 on Vijay Sales
Mumbai-headquartered Vijay Sales is also offering the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition on its website. Like Croma, its stores have 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 5 percent cashback up to Rs. 3,000 on American Express credit cards. There are easy EMI options on HDFC Bank debit cards and select credit cards. You can also earn Rs. 375/ Rs. 300 as part of the complimentary MYVS Rewards programme.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Vijay Sales
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at Vijay Sales
How to pre-order PS5 on Flipkart
Walmart-owned Flipkart also has PlayStation 5 and PS5 Digital Edition 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 easy EMI options on most debit and credit cards. You can avail 5 percent unlimited cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank credit cards, 10 percent off up to Rs. 1,750 on EMI transactions with HDFC Bank debit and credit cards, or 10 percent off up to Rs. 1,250 on HDFC Bank credit card transactions.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Flipkart
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at Flipkart
How to pre-order PS5 on Croma
Tata-owned Croma will also offer the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition 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 easy EMI options on most credit cards. You can avail 5 percent cashback up to Rs. 2,000 on HDFC Bank credit cards, 7.5 percent cashback up to Rs. 3,000 on EMI transactions with HDFC Bank credit cards, or a Croma gift card worth 5 percent up to Rs. 1,000 on credit and debit card transactions.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Croma
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at Croma
How to pre-order PS5 on Reliance Digital
Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Digital will also offer the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition 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. 3,500 on Citibank credit and debit cards. You can also avail easy EMI options with most popular banks.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Reliance Digital
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at Reliance Digital
How to pre-order PS5 on Prepaid Gamer Card
Bengaluru-based online games store Prepaid Gamer Card also has the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition back in stock. It too offers free home delivery everywhere in India, if deliveries are available.
Be warned, Prepaid Gamer Card has a habit of taking bundling to insane lengths. In May, it forced costumers to buy half a dozen games and accessories along with their PlayStation 5, with the total going over Rs. 85,000. The PS5 costs Rs. 49,990 on its own.
You don’t need an account to buy the PS5 from Prepaid Gamer Card. But the website will create one for you during the checkout process, so you might as well have one. You will naturally need to provide an email address as well if you don’t already an account.
Buy PlayStation 5 at Prepaid Gamer Card
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition at Prepaid Gamer Card
How to pre-order PS5 on Games The Shop
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 or PS5 Digital Edition 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
Buy PlayStation 5 Digital Edition 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.