Sony Adds New PS5 Pro Purchase Requirement to Stop Scalpers

What Sony Just Changed

Getting a PS5 Pro was already tough. Now, at least in Japan, it comes with homework. Sony announced via PlayStation Blog that buyers must enter a lottery system to even get a shot at purchasing the console — and there's a catch built in specifically to weed out scalpers.

To qualify for the lottery, you need a Japanese PlayStation Network account tied to online services, and that account must show at least 60 hours of cumulative playtime logged between September 27, 2024 and September 27, 2026.

Why Sony Is Doing This

Short answer: demand is outpacing supply, and scalpers are making it worse. The PS5 Pro has been hard to find since launch, partly because of genuine consumer demand and partly because rising costs for RAM and other components have pushed console prices higher across the board. That combination — scarce inventory plus steep prices — is a scalper's dream. Resellers have been snapping up consoles and flipping them at markups that put the Pro out of reach for regular gamers.

The 60-hour playtime requirement isn't a huge ask for an actual PlayStation user. Most people who genuinely play on their console will clear that easily over a two-year window. But it's a real hurdle for scalpers, who typically use fresh or barely-used accounts to snap up inventory and resell it. By requiring a playtime history, Sony is essentially asking: have you actually used a PlayStation before, or are you just here to flip hardware?

What This Means If You Want a PS5 Pro

Right now, this requirement is specific to Japan. There's no confirmation yet that Sony plans to roll out the same lottery-and-playtime system in the US, UK, or other markets, though it wouldn't be surprising if this becomes a template other regions borrow from if scalping problems persist globally.

If you're an active PlayStation player, this kind of system actually works in your favor — it's designed to filter out the resellers clogging up the purchase queue, not to make life harder for genuine fans. The bigger hurdle remains the lottery itself, since even qualifying doesn't guarantee a chance to buy; it just gets you in the pool.

The Bigger Picture

This move signals just how serious the PS5 Pro scarcity problem has become. Component costs aren't dropping anytime soon, and as long as demand keeps outpacing supply, expect more creative gatekeeping measures from console makers trying to get hardware into the hands of actual players instead of resale bots and scalper networks.