This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2020, CNET’s gift picks with expert advice, reviews and recommendations for the latest tech gifts for you and your family.
Update: The first PS5 order window of the day brought Walmart’s site to its knees, and left a lot of frustrated shoppers. The next window is 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. The original story is below.
If you’ve been waiting for the PlayStation 5 for a year or so, today is your very own Black Friday and Boxing Day celebration all rolled into one — Thursday, Nov. 12, is when the PS5 is officially available in the US. Sony is making both versions of the console available simultaneously: a $400 digital-only version and a $500 model with Blu-ray. (As we have said before, if you don’t need the optical drive for games or movies, we recommend you go with the $400 one.)
To be clear, we fully expect every major retailer to sell out quickly. We’d be surprised if the national stockpile of PS5s survives the day. But unlike other stores, Walmart has already vowed (in a tweet to a customer) to make its inventory available in segments throughout the day.
Hi, Bryan. Due to the popularity of the item, it quickly sold out before the inventory online recalibrated. You can still purchase the PS5 online on November 12 at 12PM, 3PM, 6PM, and 9PM (ET).
— Walmart Help (@walmarthelp) November 10, 2020
The bottom line? Now you know when to open your browser and get ready to click:
ET: Noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m.
CT: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m.
MT: 10 a.m., 1 p.m. 4 p.m., 7 p.m.
PT: 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m.
To make it a little easier to quickly get to the product page, here are both versions of the PS5:
Sony
This is the less pricey Digital Edition, which has an 825GB SSD but lacks the optical drive. If you have a good broadband connection, your money is best spent right here.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The cream of the PlayStation crop, this console includes an 825GB SSD and Blu-ray optical drive.
Full PS5 coverage
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