PS5 in India: When will Sony PlayStation 5 pre-orders go live in the country?

The PS5 had a less-than-optimal start in India, given its complications resulting from a patent dispute. The next-gen console's launch from Sony got delayed, but the PlayStation 5 finally arrived in the country in February 2021, much to the delight of console enthusiasts.

However, much like the rest of the countries where the PS5 was launched, stocks ran out pretty quickly. Indian console gamers have been starved of the console since. Until now, that is, as Sony Center, a Sony-authorised dealer, put up a banner notifying buyers of pre-booking for the PS5 come May 17th, 2021, at 12 PM.

According to Sony Center, only the standard PlayStation 5 will be available for pre-order on the date above. There hasn't been any announcement regarding the availability of the Digital Edition of the console yet.

• Price of the Digital Edition: ₹39,990
• Cost of the Standard PlayStation 5: ₹49,990

Indian fans have been waiting with bated breath for news of a restock since February, and it seems like their patience has been rewarded.

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PS5 stock shortage expected to last until 2022, according to Sony

Days of Play is back! Join us for Player Celebration challenges, special Share of the Week themes, promotions and more: https://t.co/oWGWqPee0l pic.twitter.com/A1DBb7u0kN

— PlayStation India (@PlayStationIN) May 11, 2021

Getting their hands on a PS5 has been extremely difficult for fans, with the global launch plagued by scalpers and bots. While there hasn't been much by way of a scalper epidemic with the PS5's launch in India, stocks have been in short supply. It doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.

Sony's Hiroki Totoki (Executive Deputy President, CFO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer) had this to say (via to Bloomberg) regarding the PS5 stock shortage and high demand:

"I don't think demand is calming down this year, and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PlayStation 5 next year, our supply wouldn't be able to catch up with demand."

The demand for the PS5 has obviously been pretty palpable, given just how Sony's last-gen console, the PS4, was able to earn such goodwill. The first-party exclusives offered by Sony (God of War, TLOU Part II, Ghost of Tsushima) led the charge for the console and helped Sony gain a solid footing.

The lineup for the PS5 seems to have gotten off to a great start. Launch titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls, and, to everyone's surprise, Astro's Playroom, have done great critically and commercially. With Returnal also gathering rave reviews alongside Resident Evil: Village, the demand for the PS5 is only going to increase further.

Fans can only hope Sony can meet the demand for its next-gen console and maintain a steady output of great first and third-party releases.