GTA VI reveal wipes out PS5 Pro stock — scalpers now charging $1,300
PS5 Pro consoles vanished from most major US retailers within 24 hours of Rockstar's extended GTA VI gameplay reveal on August 27 — and scalpers immediately filled the gap. Best Buy and Target are completely sold out, while Amazon and Walmart listings come almost entirely from third-party sellers asking up to $1,300. If you want to pay the $899 MSRP, gHacks reports that PlayStation Direct is currently the only major outlet holding the line — though stock there is thinning fast.
The scalping spike
On eBay, completed sales for new PS5 Pro bundles are already hitting $1,200, and the pattern of listings suggests organized reseller networks rather than opportunistic individuals. That's a 33–44% markup over retail, purely because a single game reveal shifted buying intent overnight. Sony had said as recently as July that it had secured enough memory components to hit its fiscal targets, but holiday 2026 demand has outrun those projections.
The memory angle matters beyond just this moment. A broader RAM supply crunch — driven by surging AI hardware demand — is compounding the GTA VI-driven squeeze, according to Notebookcheck. No meaningful relief is expected before GTA VI's November 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series.
What the Pro actually offers for GTA VI
Rockstar has confirmed PS5 Pro enhancements for GTA VI, but has not released any technical specifics — no confirmed frame rate targets, no details on resolution modes. Digital Foundry's analysis of the reveal footage found the base PS5 running the game at native 1440p and 30fps without any upscaling. Whether the Pro can push that to 60fps remains an open question, and several hardware analysts are skeptical.
Sony has been heavily marketing the idea that GTA VI plays best on PS5, which has clearly amplified demand for the Pro model specifically. The shortage isn't limited to the US — European stock is similarly stressed, with some EU third-party sellers already at €1,299.99 against an MSRP of €799.99.
What to do now
If you're not in a rush, waiting is the smarter move. Sony is likely to push a restock ahead of the November launch, and PlayStation Direct remains your best shot at MSRP in the meantime. Paying $1,300 for a $899 console — four months before a holiday restock — is a steep premium for impatience.
