PS5 Launch Sales to Be Online Only. On Thursday, Sony confirmed that the next-gen console will only be available online at launch due to COVID-19. No units will be available in-store for purchase on launch day .., Sid Shuman, PlayStation senior director of global content communications, via blog post. ... please don't plan on camping out or lining up at your local retailer on launch day in hopes of finding a PS5 console for purchase, Sid Shuman, PlayStation senior director of global content communications, via blog post. If you've preordered the PS5 to pick up at a store near you on Nov. 12, it should still arrive as scheduled, . but retailers won't be stocked for the general public. It's probably best to double check on preorder arrangements just in case, considering ever-changing COVID-19 protocols.