GameStop selling PS5 and Xbox Series X bundles for Pro Members only

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are two of this year’s hottest holiday items (right up there with Spin Master’s Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse) and while we’re just a few days away from Christmas, there’s still time to purchase one of the next-gen consoles. GameStop announced today they will be having a PS5 and Xbox Series X restock on December 23.

Select stores across America will have limited quantities of PS5 and Xbox Series X bundles available for purchase. However, there’s a catch — the bundles are only available for PowerUp Rewards Pro Members. For those unfamiliar, this is GameStop’s annual membership program that includes benefits such as points rewards for purchases, a Game Informer subscription, and exclusive early access to console drops, graphics cards, collectibles and more.

While it might seem shady to gatekeep the PS5 and Xbox Series X behind a membership, GameStop is hardly the only retailer to do this. Both Walmart and Amazon have also provided exclusive early access to their PS5 and Xbox Series X restock to their respective membership subscribers.

That doesn’t make it right, but I suppose retailers aren’t in the business of being consumer friendly. On the bright side, GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards Pro membership is at least more affordable than the others, coming in at $14.99 for the year. That being said, having a PowerUp Rewards Pro membership is hardly a guarantee you’ll be able to purchase one of these bundles. Quantities will “be limited” so you can expect they’ll sell out almost immediately.

Additionally, GameStop isn’t selling the consoles individually. They will be packaged as a bundle, which typically is priced much more expensive than if you were to buy the console on its own. So what’s included in these bundles?

The Xbox Series X bundle comes with the console, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Far Cry 6, a 3-month Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a $100 GameStop gift card.

The PlayStation 5 bundle includes the PS5 with disc drive (this is the $499 console and not the $399 digital edition), an extra DualSense controller, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, PowerA DualSense Charging Dock and a $50 GameStop gift card.

Prices for both bundles were not included but it’s estimated that both bundles could cost around $750.

GameStop has listed all of the participating stores that will have these PS5 and Xbox Series X bundles on its website. It looks like the PS5 will be available at 598 stores while the Xbox Series X will be available at 277 locations. It’s believed that each store will have up to 60 consoles.

One of my concerns, especially as the Omicron COVID-19 variant is spreading, is how each location will handle the crowds. With this being an in-store event, I have to imagine people will be arriving and lining up extra early. Hopefully the stores do some sort of virtual queue and hand out vouchers so that people don’t have to be huddled in line.