New PS5 stock is expected in the UK this week

UK retailers are expected to restock PlayStation 5 this week, as Sony continues its struggle to satisfy the significant demand from consumers.

According to social media reports, UK retailers including Argos have received new PlayStation 5 stock ahead of an expected on-sale date sometime this week.

Usually retailers have given no warning ahead of restocks going live, but in Argos’ case it’s previously put new consoles on sale in the early hours of the morning, typically between 1 and 4am.

Since Argos provides a local ‘click and collect’ service, consumers may want to check their local stores during these hours to see if any stock has been made available, as tracking software may not be reliable.

Following restocks at Game and ShopTo last week, the remaining major retailers including Amazon, Very and Currys could also put new PS5 stock on sale this week. Previously these retailers have made their stock available during the morning hours.

UK physical PlayStation 5 game sales surged last week, after some retailers made more stock available for the in-demand console.

According to GfK data republished by GI.biz, Spider-Man: Miles Morales rose eight places in the official chart to No.4 with a 264% sales spike. PS5 exclusive Demon’s Souls enjoyed a similar boost, with weekly sales rising 401% to propel the title to No.17.

The boost in PS5 software sales suggests that at least some of last week’s console stock managed to make its way into the hands of regular consumers, despite scalper groups continuing to target restocks for PS5.

With next-gen consoles still widely sold out across the UK, and most restocks selling out in minutes, re-seller groups have faced criticism for their role in exacerbating the shortages.

Last week the UK minister of state for digital and culture, Caroline Dinenage, confirmed that officials were even discussing a proposed bill that would make console scalping illegal.

The owner of a UK-based reseller group targeting next-gen consoles recently claimed that the negative public image attributed to ‘scalpers’ wasn’t justified.

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UK physical PS5 game sales surge again following console restocks

Spider-Man: Miles Morales sold 264% more copies compared to the week before

The co-founder of paid-for group The Lab claimed it was donating member fees to charities and a local food bank, though it reportedly declined to provide the name of the food bank so that this claim could be verified.

“We do a lot for charity as well,” he said. “I myself or collectively as a group donate to charity almost monthly at this point. Most notably over the past month, we donated a large portion of our membership fees to a food bank local to me.”

In December another re-seller group CrepCheifNotify defended its actions and claimed that many of its members were struggling financially but could now “put food on the table” thanks to profits made from flipping consoles.