Here are the best tips for securing restocks at GameStop.
What Day of the Week Does GameStop Usually Restock Online?
GameStop tends to restock online during weekdays only, preferring to save weekends for in-store drops.
What Day of the Week Does GameStop Usually Restock In-Store?
When it comes to in-store restocks, GameStop has started offering regular drops from Friday-Sunday for high-demand products recently.
The retailer has been rather consistent with these restocks, however, they’re always announced in advance, so you may not have any luck just showing up on a weekend.
What Time Does GameStop Usually Restock Online?
GameStop online major restocks almost always take place between:
PT: 9 AM – 12 PM
MT: 10 AM – 1 PM
CT: 11 AM – 2 PM
ET: 12 PM – 3 PM
The retailer will often announce its drops in advance, to ensure that fans have at least a short amount of notice before a restock takes place.
How Long Do GameStop Restocks Last?
GameStop restocks don’t tend to last longer than an hour for the most high-demand items, but the drops always last longer than most customers think.
Don’t give up at the first sign of Out of Stock, and if you’re having trouble, just stick at it with a refresh every 15 seconds or so until you’re certain (or GameStop announces) that the restock is over.
Do I Need GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro Membership for Restocks?
Yes, generally, you’ll need a PowerUp Rewards Pro membership for GameStop restocks but not all the time. When products are in high demand, the retailer does tend to give PowerUp Rewards Pro members first dibs at any upcoming drops.
However, PowerUp Rewards Pro isn’t always necessary when it comes to taking part in drops, and GameStop usually makes it clear in advance whether or not customers should make the investment. If GameStop tweets about the benefits of being a PowerUp member, chances are another drop is just around the corner.
If you’re desperately searching for a rare restock, PowerUp Rewards isn’t a bad investment. After all, it’s only $14.99 for the year and comes with a $5 monthly reward certificate and access to all GameInformer issues.
Here’s where to sign up for GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro.
How to Check GameStop for Local Stock In-Store
To see if your local GameStop has stock in-store, the only way is to go in-store and ask. Your best bet is first thing in the morning, as that’s when the retailer will get deliveries in.
However, for select high-demand products, GameStop might not be able to sell you the units right away, even if it has stock. Always be polite to the staff members, as they don’t control when the company lets them sell products.
You can find all your local GameStop store details here.
GameStop Restock Tips & Tricks
Set Up Account & Payment Early
As ever, the most important thing to do when looking to buy a product from GameStop is to set up your account early, with as much detail as possible.
Make sure that your payment options and shipping details in particular are ready to go, well before any drops take place. That way, there’ll be less delay in placing your order when the time comes.
GameStop Site vs App
For whatever reason, GameStop’s app is far worse for restock drops than its website.
But what’s notable is that the best way to check out at GameStop easily is actually using your mobile browser, which is somehow even better than the same site on a PC.
Bundles
This won’t be the case for all products but GameStop seems to like selling high-demand products in bundles. These bundles add unnecessary content to your purchase, and drive up the price accordingly.
While at first glance, this does seem like a bad thing for the consumer, it’s worth noting that bundles help deter scalpers at least. And if you do spend a little extra money on your product of choice, at least you can sell on the pack-ins afterward.
Avoid Twitter Links
It’s worth noting that, despite a number of restock tracker accounts on Twitter providing their followers with a link the moment stock goes live, you should avoid clicking those links where possible.
Instead, heading to the GameStop website manually and searching for your product has been shown to have a better rate of success.
This way, you’ll get fewer ‘Out of Stock’ notifications, as GameStop’s site doesn’t seem to like a lot of people entering via the exact same link, leading to it incorrectly reporting that the restock is over.
Don’t Refresh Too Much
In what is likely an effort to block scalpers from snatching up stock, GameStop will reportedly block an IP address if it’s spamming a page refresh too much. If this happens, you will no longer be able to access the site from your home.
Bear in mind resubmitting the URL in the address bar is the same as refreshing.
However, what you can do in this instance is use your mobile device and get a second shot at the restock. You will need to use the mobile cellular network instead of the same home WiFi.
Checkout as a Guest
Despite your best bet being having an account ready and waiting, checking out as a guest at GameStop isn’t a bad option. After all, so long as you have Apple Pay or Paypal set up on your phone, guest checkouts are possible, and sometimes easier than logging in.
Why not try to checkout on a second device without being signed in to double your chances?
The page below will appear after tapping “proceed to checkout” in the basket.
Apple Pay or PayPal
Following on from our last point, Apple Pay and PayPal appear to be the best methods of payment possible when it comes to GameStop. Checking out with these third-party platforms appears to net more success, perhaps because it doesn’t further clog up the GameStop site servers.
For best results, ensure you’ve got one of the two payment methods set up.
Here’s how to increase your chances of landing restocks at other major retailers: