Update 11/13 9:47am: The PS5 is no longer in stock at Target on launch day (November 12). The next best bet seems to be Black Friday, but we recommend bookmarking Target's PS5 page and checking it often.

It's a tough time to find a PS5, but there is some hope. Reservations for Sony's upcoming console have been sold out for weeks, but even so, several consoles were expected to hit store shelves on launch day.

Now we have confirmation, at least from Target, that if you are brave enough to walk through the hungry crowds on November 12, you may be able to find a PS5. However, as past console launches have shown, inventory will be limited, so use your own judgment.

The information comes from Target's official Twitter account, where a user called packbeater (in a deleted tweet) asked when the popular retailer would be able to sell the PS5. The response was very straightforward: "It will be available in stores on 11/12/2020."

Further down the thread there was a more definitive answer. The consoles will be sold in stores, but customers cannot simply walk into a store and pick one up. Instead, they must purchase the console online and choose to pick it up in-store.

It is unclear whether Target will sell additional consoles for home delivery, but it does not seem unlikely. In any case, the company cannot confirm when the consoles will go on sale, so if you want one, your best bet is to launch the page on Thursday morning and update it frequently.

There is a bit of good news for the intrepid shelf-hunter, but only a bit: once the initial wave of orders has subsided, Target will sell unsold consoles directly on its shelves, without requiring online orders. Based on what we've seen so far, this probably won't happen until mid-December or late January, but it's good to know as the holiday season approaches; if you absolutely, positively cannot find a PS5 online, you can always pop into Target and hope for the best.

As someone who has danced the console launch dance many times, let me tell you that obsessively searching for a system on launch day is not worth the time. Best case scenario, you find it after much stress, worst case scenario, you go home defeated and exhausted. if you have a PS4, you'll be able to play most of the PS5 launch titles, and even if you don't, many of the fall's biggest titles will also be available on Xbox One and PC. in January. then the PS5 will probably be more readily available, and you can get it when you want it. No need to obsessively refresh a website or wander through an empty electronics department.

Still, if you want a PS5 and there is a Target nearby, it wouldn't hurt to open the Target website on November 12, refresh it a few times, and see what you can find. The odds aren't great, but someone will make it.