Good luck finding a new PS5 Pro before the price hike

Retailers like GameStop, Target, and Best Buy are running low on PS5 Pro consoles

It's starting to feel like 2020 again: The PlayStation 5 is flying off the shelves, and the air is thick with despair. Last week, Sony announced that its family of PlayStation products are getting a price increase across the board starting on April 2. Depending on the model, the PS5 is already a pricey piece of hardware. But the thought of paying an extra $100 or more for a gaming console has motivated some to buy, upgrade, or trade in their consoles before it's too late.

Depending on where you live, the PlayStation 5 Pro might be out of stock completely — or it's about to be. "Just panic bought my PS5 Pro," one Redditor wrote in a thread full of commenters saying they did the same. The consensus seems to be that, if you were on the fence before or considering a PS5, now is the time to get one. And as more gamers confirm that they've secured a PS5 before the price increase, onlookers are being struck with feelings of FOMO.

One factor that's influencing the sudden movement of PS5 consoles at the moment is that GameStop is running a promotion that pays extra for trade-ins of pre-owned hardware. The retailer has already updated its pricing for used PS5 Pros, so anyone hoping to save a buck by foregoing new hardware will still end up paying a premium. Hilariously, a used PS5 Pro at GameStop is currently more expensive than a brand-new one.

Meanwhile, there are many reports online from gamers who say they can't find a PS5 Pro anywhere around them. While the console doesn't appear to be sold out entirely at major retailers, stock has thinned considerably at stores like Target and GameStop. If a store has the system in stock, it will often only be a console or two at most. Chances are high that anyone interested in a new PS5 Pro will have to go on a trek to find one.

"Desperately trying to trade in my ps5 to get the ps5 pro for the promo, I’m from WA state and everything in 100 miles is sold out," one gamer wrote on Reddit. In the comments, GameStop workers claim that some stores sold out of their stock within hours of the pricing announcement.

The scarcity has unfortunately put some people in a tight spot. One gamer reports that they were excited to trade in their old base model PS5 console for a new one, only to discover that, despite their trade-in credit, there wasn't a new console to upgrade. So now this person who used to own a PS5 no longer has a PS5, and may be stuck paying the jacked-up price for a replacement anyway.

Elsewhere, the PS5 Pro has shot up on Amazon's bestseller list, apparently outperforming the base model. While the PS5 Pro is not a massive upgrade over the standard model, many have reasoned that if they're already dropping hundreds of dollars on a purchase, they might as well get the best possible version, brand new. But the way things are going, it seems like Facebook Marketplace might be the best place to look for a PS5 Pro.

With only a couple of days left before the price increase goes into effect, it's likely that the situation will only get worse for anyone who hasn't yet secured a PS5 Pro. Who knew that the people who paid $1,000 when the PS5 originally launched would end up getting the last laugh?