You won’t be able to buy a PlayStation 5 in-store on launch day

Sony has released a “launch day ordering update” for the PlayStation 5, and it’s bad news for anyone hoping to nab a console by standing in line at a brick-and-mortar retailer.

“Today we are confirming that all day-of launch sales will be conducted through the online stores of our retail partners,” Sony wrote on the PlayStation Blog. The platform holder cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the justification for the decision, seeking to avoid the risk of long lines at retailers.

Since no units will be in stores on launch day, the only place you’ll be able to buy a PlayStation 5 will be online.

Sony says anyone who has preordered a console for in-person pickup should still be able to do so, but suggests confirming these details with the retailer in question. It’s unclear whether any stores will offer online orders for same-day pickup, but it may well be that those of us who don’t already have preorders will be totally unable to secure a console on launch day.

The PlayStation 5 launches in the U.S. on November 12th.