Sony’s new PS5 Professional lottery requires 60 hours of playtime simply to use

Winners & losers: Like many shopper electronics merchandise today, the PlayStation 5 Professional is going through extreme shortages in elements of the world. In Japan, Sony is popping to a lottery system to promote its freshly manufactured consoles to real avid gamers whereas conserving out criminals and speculators.

Regardless of the numerous backlash over its plan to cease manufacturing discs for brand new video games in 2028, Sony stays massively common within the console enterprise. The PlayStation 5 Professional is so common, in actual fact, that the corporate is now attempting to go off scalping by limiting what number of clients can get the brand new console.

On its Japan-focused on-line retailer, Sony is now accepting “buy purposes” from native patrons. Japanese avid gamers can apply to purchase a brand-new PlayStation 5 Professional, however solely till October 7. The corporate warns that submitting a purchase order type would not essentially assure the fitting to purchase a console.

Fairly the opposite, in actual fact. If the variety of shopping for requests exceeds the variety of gross sales Sony plans to finalize, the corporate will maintain a lottery amongst candidates. Sony’s wording basically anticipates that demand will outstrip provide, and that each applicant have to be a authentic buyer beneath the principles the lottery is predicated on.

– Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) September 28, 2026

Candidates might want to have logged at the very least 60 hours of playtime on PS4, PS5, or each, between September 27, 2024 and September 27, 2026, on a Japan-registered Sony account. Sony will start notifying lottery “winners” round October 26, and so they should full their buy by means of the corporate’s on-line retailer by November 2.

After November 2, unfinalized gross sales will likely be voided and Sony will “re-lot” the consoles to different eligible clients. Buy and delivery can be found solely in Japan, and every Sony account can apply for a single PS5 Professional. The lottery features a few extra guidelines that additional prohibit clients’ means to purchase a brand new mannequin of Sony’s strongest console thus far.

Sony’s try to curb scalping and different malicious enterprise is comprehensible, but it surely may become a double-edged sword. Rockstar is ready to launch GTA VI on November 19, and a big variety of gamers may contemplate shopping for a brand new console simply to expertise the most recent and biggest crime journey everybody likes to hate.

And issues may worsen. If shortages persist, Sony may increase its lottery-based program to the US and different areas exterior Japan.