Retailers in Europe are emailing some customers to inform them that their pre-ordered PlayStation 5 consoles will not arrive until 2021, meaning they will have to wait at least two months to get the next-gen system. The report comes shortly after other retailers began to cancel PS5 pre-orders following confirmation from Sony about stock allocation.

Despite being one of the most hotly anticipated gaming machines of all time, the PS5 has been beset with pre-order problems. Many retailers went live with sales of the console immediately after the PlayStation Showcase on September 16th, even though Sony had previously confirmed the system would not be available to pre-order until the next day. This led to mass confusion and chaos, with many online stores crashing due to demand. Sony eventually apologized for the fiasco and promised that more PS5 consoles would be made available throughout the month.

Some customers who pre-ordered a PlayStation 5 might have to wait until 2021 before the console is delivered. A report by Video Games Chronicle suggests that some retailers are emailing users to let them know whether their pre-order is considered safe for a November 12th release. In particular, the Irish branch of GameStop has contacted a number of VGC readers to confirm that it “won’t be able to fulfill your pre-order until 2021.” That means that despite having a valid pre-order, these customers will have to wait at least two months before getting the next-gen console. According to the report, Sony has allocated fewer systems to retailers in Europe than initially expected, leading to a shortage.


The fact that certain retailers will not receive the number of PS5 consoles that were expected comes only a few days after the likes of GameStop and Walmart offered more pre-orders to the public. However, it was made clear that these pre-orders would be in very limited supply and only available for a few hours. The apparent lack of stock comes despite Sony saying that it still plans to produce 15 million PS5s by March 2021.

News that retailers are canceling pre-orders and informing certain customers that the PlayStation 5 might not be available until 2021 will come as a major blow to early adopters. Fans have been eagerly anticipating the console all year and those that pre-ordered would be justified in assuming that they would definitely get one in November. It could also mean that no additional units will be made available over the coming weeks.

The PlayStation 5 is due out on November 12th in select countries and on November 19th in the rest of the world.