More Xbox Series X stock could arrive just in time for Black Friday

Anyone who’s tried to find a PS5 or Xbox Series X this past year knows how difficult it’s been to buy the sought-after consoles – though that might change over the next couple of months. 

As we head into the holiday season, which is sure to be full of great Black Friday deals, we could see more Xbox Series X stock arrive before the end of the year.

According to Christopher Dring (head of GamesIndustry.biz), Xbox Series X stock will greatly improve over the holidays, just in time for players to enjoy Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, which are set to release on December 8 and November 9 respectively. 

It means we may see the odd Black Friday Xbox Series X deal (and perhaps some on Cyber Monday too), though we can’t imagine the console itself being discounted in any meaningful way.

If you aren’t after an Xbox, PS5 stock is also set to improve, though Dring noted that PS5 stock has generally been better than Xbox anyway.

Hopefully increased stock means we’ll all finally get the consoles we’ve been wanting for the past year, but if you want to maximize your chances of getting one, read on as we give you our best tips on how to get an Xbox Series X.

TechRadar’s tips: how to get an Xbox Series X

Unfortunately, we can’t promise these tips will guarantee you success, but if you follow our advice you’ll have a greater chance of snapping up an Xbox Series X before the consoles disappear again.

The first step in the plan is patience. You’ll need plenty of this as you wait for the next stock drop. If you’ve held out until now, don’t get caught up in the hype and overpay for an Xbox Series X from a scalper or get sold a dud by a phony reseller online. Only shop from official vendors you can trust and don’t pay over the $499 / £449 / AU$749 RRP unless you’re picking up a bundle deal. 

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Alex Van Aken)

Next, you’ll want to follow stock trackers so you can pounce as soon as you see an alert. As soon as we find out Xbox Series X stock is available we’ll be sure to let you know – but you can also sign up to store email alerts and follow people like TechRadar’s Matt Swider on Twitter for stock updates so you can be first in the queue.

Even if you’re an hour late to a restock alert, we still recommend you check the site for stock. It takes less than 30 seconds and sometimes Xbox Series X consoles don’t sell out as quickly as you think they would. As orders are canceled due to payment issues or idle carts are automatically emptied, the console can become briefly available again.

Once you’ve found Xbox Series X stock, you’ll ideally want to aim for the bundles. Consoles that are packaged with games, Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, and extra controllers tend to be less popular, especially with scalper bots designed to sweep up Xbox stock as soon as it becomes available. Scalpers can’t sell these bundles for as high a markup leading to a reduced profit margin.

It does mean you’ll have to pay a bit more for your console package, but it’s still cheaper than buying from a scalper (especially as you at least got something for paying more) and you can always sell your unwanted bundled items later on to make some money back or can give them away as holiday gifts.

Hopefully, these tips serve you well this holiday season in your quest to nab an Xbox Series X. If you’re after any other juicy gadgets be sure to check back here for all our Black Friday buying advice so you can snag some bargains while you can.

Already got yourself an Xbox? Here are the best Xbox Series X games