The PlayStation 5 console at Costco has reached $790, with a limit of five units per purchase.

The upcoming release of the crime action game Grand Theft Auto VI, scheduled for November 19, 2026, has triggered a sharp surge in demand for current gaming systems in global retail. Amid growing excitement, major retailers have begun introducing preemptive limits on quantities sold per purchase to prevent artificial shortages and combat scalpers. Specifically, Costco stores have updated price tags on PlayStation 5 Slim bundles, setting a strict purchase limit of no more than five units per customer’s Club Card. Retailers are simultaneously using price promotions to attract casual gamers, offering an instant discount of $85, reducing the price of the bundle from $874.99 to $789.99.

Market analysts and retailers warned several months ago of a high probability of hardware shortages during the holiday season due to unprecedented interest in the Rockstar Games project. Since Grand Theft Auto VI will launch exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles, with no simultaneous PC release, millions of players are forced to purchase or upgrade their home consoles. Pre-order statistics show that the majority of demand is coming from the Sony ecosystem, where pre-order rates are significantly higher than those on Microsoft’s competing platform. The release of demos for the project has previously led to a 33% increase in weekly console sales in certain European markets.

Additional pressure on inventory is being exerted by the increased activity of speculators hoping to profit from reselling devices during the blockbuster’s launch. Along with restrictions on base PlayStation 5 Slim models, retailers are even more stringent in controlling the sale of the higher-end PlayStation 5 Pro versions, with the quota in some regions being no more than two systems per loyalty program participant per day. Sony itself is also encouraging audiences to upgrade to new hardware ahead of the year’s biggest release by launching official trade-in programs for older consoles with compensation of up to $400. Digital pre-loading of Grand Theft Auto VI versions larger than 200 GB begins on November 10th, so peak retail activity in the console segment is expected in the next week and a half.

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