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What Sony did
Sony’s online store in Japan reopened PS5 Pro sales as an application window rather than a straight purchase. According to Push Square and Kotaku, the store accepted applications from September 28 through October 7, 2026 at 23:59 JST, and only from PlayStation accounts registered in Japan showing at least 60 hours of combined PS4 and PS5 play between September 27, 2024 and September 27, 2026. That window had already closed before applications opened, so starting now would not qualify anyone. One console per account, listed at ¥137,980.
If requests outnumber the units Sony plans to sell, winners are chosen by lottery. Outlets report winners are told around October 26, 2026 and must complete the purchase by November 2, after which unclaimed units go back into the pool for other applicants. Deliveries are expected in the first half of November, days before GTA 6’s November 19 launch.
Why outlets link it to GTA 6
Kotaku headlines its report “ahead of GTA 6,” and Push Square frames the playtime rule as Sony’s way of selling to people who actually use a PlayStation rather than resellers. Neither outlet quotes Sony naming GTA 6 directly; the tie is the outlets’ own reading of the timing, a console shortage worsening right before the system’s biggest fall release. Reported separately: a Sony memo to distributors says the broader PS5 Pro shortage runs “through early 2027 at the earliest,” which our PS5 Pro page already covers.
What is not confirmed
Sony has not published this policy in English or said whether the same playtime gate will apply outside Japan. GTA 6 carries a PS5 Pro Enhanced label on the PlayStation Store, but Sony and Rockstar have still said nothing about what that enhancement is, and the only frame-rate report is 30 fps from development builds.
What it means for players
If you are in Japan and wanted a Pro before launch, this window has already closed; watch for Sony’s October 26 result window and any re-lot of unclaimed units. Everywhere else, a base PS5 plays GTA 6 the same day a Pro does, at a few hundred dollars less, covered on the best console for GTA 6. Nothing here changes GTA 6’s price or release date, which stay at $79.99 or $99.99 on November 19.
Controllers for GTA VI
Sony's Grand Theft Auto VI Limited Edition DualSense comes out with the game on November 19. For Xbox, the Elite Series 2 Core is Microsoft's pro controller.
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Background: GTA 6 on PS5 · GTA 6 DualSense controller
Frequently asked questions
Why is Sony running a PS5 Pro lottery in Japan?
To slow scalpers and limited stock, according to Push Square and Kotaku. Sony's Japan store only accepted applications from PlayStation accounts showing at least 60 hours of combined PS4 or PS5 play between September 27, 2024 and September 27, 2026, a window that had already closed before applications opened, so nobody could play their way in afterward. Outlets tie the shortage to rising demand ahead of GTA 6's November 19 launch.
Can I still apply for Sony's PS5 Pro lottery in Japan?
No. The application window ran from September 28 to October 7, 2026 at 23:59 JST. Reported winners are told around October 26, and must complete the purchase, at a listed ¥137,980, by November 2, or Sony re-enters the console into the pool for other applicants.
Does the Japan lottery mean PS5 Pro stock is short everywhere?
This specific program is Sony's Japan store only. A separate Sony memo to distributors, reported in September, says the broader PS5 Pro shortage runs through early 2027 at the earliest. See our PS5 Pro page for the US stock picture.
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