PS5 Pro Japan Lottery Requires 60 Hours of Playtime

Sony is using a lottery system in Japan to sell PS5 Pros, requiring players to have at least 60 hours of playtime since 2024. Winners can buy the console for 137,980 yen, with applications open until October 7.

Ever been told you're not a "real gamer"? Sony is now putting that to the test in Japan. Due to ongoing PS5 Pro stock shortages, PlayStation has launched a lottery system that requires players to have at least 60 hours of playtime on their Sony account since 2024.

The move comes as RAM shortages continue to plague console production. According to a Japanese PlayStation blog post translated by industry update account Genki, the PS5 Pro is facing stock shortages in Japan. The recent GTA 6 reveal in August reportedly decimated PS5 Pro stock in the US, and scalpers worldwide are pricing the upgraded console at outrageous levels.

So how does the lottery work? If you're in Japan, you need to have logged at least 60 hours of playtime on PS5 or PS4 (or both) between September 27, 2024, and September 27, 2026. That playtime must be reflected on your online Sony account. Eligible gamers can apply to purchase a PS5 Pro now through Wednesday, October 7. Sony will start notifying winners on October 26.

But winning the lottery doesn't mean you've won a free console. Winners get the chance to spend 137,980 yen (slightly less than the PS5 Pro's $900 price tag in the US). And you'll need to act fast: PlayStation is enforcing a deadline for winners to swipe their credit card. PS5 Pros must be bought by November 2, or else the successful lottery spot gets thrown back into a re-draw scheduled for later this year.

The whole thing is giving global PlayStation fans some ideas. "I hope this is what they do for the eventual PS6 release," says a top comment in a related Reddit thread. Since these console shortages are more about missing parts than players clamoring to spend all their money on a machine that can't even play discs, PlayStation might have to adopt similar measures worldwide, no matter what you think of it. As one JRPG boss whose business is built on physical games noted, PlayStation is "hearing the feedback from customers" on discs.

For now, Japanese gamers with enough playtime have a shot at securing a PS5 Pro. Everyone else? Well, you might want to start racking up those hours if this lottery system goes global. Will you be logging extra playtime just for a chance to buy a console? Let us know in the comments!