PlayStation reveals new PS5 lottery amid pre GTA 6 launch hype

PlayStation has revealed a new PS5 Pro lottery system to account for consoles selling out in Japan.

Amidst the hype for Grand Theft Auto VI, as well as the ongoing RAM shortages which are affecting the tech industry, PlayStation consoles have become the must-have video game platform in the latter half of 2026.

As the rest of the year goes on, PS5 units are expected to shift at an alarming rate in the lead up to GTA VI’s release, and Christmas after that.

To counter the high demand, Sony has now introduced a new lottery system for PS5 Pro systems sold in Japan for buyers to participate in.

“We have begun accepting applications for the PlayStation 5 Pro from the Sony Store. There are conditions for application and purchase. Please note that if the number of applications exceeds the number of units to be sold, a lottery will be held,” reads the website (machine translated).

Although this is currently only available in Japan, it's possible that these changes could come to other markets depending on supply.

Read More: PlayStation Plus users offered free subscription upgrades, but listen up before claiming

There are a few conditions if you want to get a PS5 Pro

This new lottery system has a few prerequisites for buyers to be eligible for entry.

For starters, those using PlayStation Online Services must be using a Sony account that is registered in Japan.

They must also be signed into this account, and have played a total of 60 hours or more of games on either a PS5 or PS4 between September 27, 2024 and September 27, 2026.

Finally, the Sony account that they use to apply must be the same as their My Sony ID and sign-in ID.

Sony clarifies that if you registered for a My Sony ID on or after January 19, 2022, your My Sony ID has already been unified, but if it was made before that date, you’ll have to link your My Sony ID and your sign-in ID.

Users have until Wednesday, October 7, 2026 to apply, and winners of the lottery will be notified sequentially starting from Monday, October 26, 2026. Purchases must be completed by November 2, 2026.

It’s clear that recent console shortages have been caused by the ongoing RAM crisis in which AI data centres have bought up the supply of memory chips, leaving very little for consumers and other tech companies.

This has raised the price of hardware like RAM, storage, and video cards to staggeringly high amounts, with the price of video game consoles, computers, and other tech rising by as much as 400%.

Additionally, the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI has caused demand for PlayStation 5s to skyrocket, especially following comments from Rockstar Games that GTA VI will “play best on PS5”.

Still, this isn’t the first time video game hardware has been subject to a lottery or queuing system just for potential buyers to get one.

Earlier this year, Valve introduced a waitlist and reservation system for the Steam Machine, in which users were sorted into a one-time randomisation queue where the console would become available to buy once their place in the queue was reached.