Amazon is sending out invites to buy the highly coveted PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gaming consoles — here’s how to sign up

• Amazon is starting to send out invitations for customers to buy the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
• The company announced the invitation system in June for the in-demand PS5.
• Customers who receive an invitation get a special link to purchase the console within 72 hours.

Amazon sent out its first round of invitations to customers to buy the highly coveted PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gaming consoles on Monday.

In a tweet from Amazon Video Games, the company said customers who did not receive an invitation will have another chance to receive one next week.

—Amazon Video Games (@amazongames) August 1, 2022

In June, the company introduced the invitation system for the PlayStation 5 that includes a Blu-ray disc drive and costs $499.99. Any customer, not just Prime members, can request an invitation to buy the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X from the product’s detail page on Amazon.

The company said more invitations will be sent out as Amazon gets more of the items in stock.

—Amazon Video Games (@amazongames) August 1, 2022

The invitation emails come from ‘Amazon.com,’ and say “Congrats, you’re invited!” in the subject line. The email includes a special link that customers can use to buy the consoles, but they only have 72 hours to do so.

Last year, Hiroki Totoki, CFO of Sony which produces the PS5, told analysts that the company wouldn’t be able to produce enough of the gaming consoles to meet demand until sometime in 2022. Different issues including shipping delays and the global chip shortage have limited the PS5’s production since it was released in November 2020.

Amazon said the invitation program is designed to prevent shortages of the consoles, and the price gouging caused by robot traffic for items that are high in demand but low in supply.

“We work hard every day to provide customers with low prices, vast selection, and fast delivery,” Llew Mason, vice president of consumer engagement at Amazon, told Insider. “This includes developing a shopping experience where customers can purchase the items they’re interested in without having to worry about bad actors buying and reselling them at a much higher price.”

In addition to the PS5 and Xbox Series X, customers can also request an invite to buy the PS5 Console- Horizon Forbidden West Bundle that costs $549.99. 

The invitation program is starting in the US with the PS5 and the Xbox Series X consoles. Amazon said it hopes to expand the program to other countries and products in the future.

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