It should now be easier to buy a PlayStation 5 after 2 years of total chaos

Sony, on Monday, announced that the hurdles that have been impacting the availability of the consoles are finally easing, which it hopes will lead to another surge of consumer interest.

“To all our fans: thank you for your patience as we navigated unprecedented demand for the PS5 console amid global challenges,” wrote Isabelle Tomatis, vice president, brand, hardware and peripherals at Sony Interactive Entertainment, in a blog post. “If you’re looking to purchase a PS5 console, you should now have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally.

Sony’s optimism comes as Nintendo is reportedly planning to increase production on its Switch console this year, expecting a big sales increase as long-awaited games, such as the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are due out by mid-year.

Sony has a big year in store, as well, with games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Hogwarts Legacy due out, along with expansions to Horizon Forbidden West and other games and the release of PS VR2, its new virtual reality headset, which will have over 30 games in its launch window.

The PlayStation 5 hit store shelves in the heart of the pandemic, going on sale Nov. 12, 2020. It has been a hot seller ever since, with retailers doing occasional drops as they get new inventory in, only to see those disappear in moments. Even last year, it was one of the hottest holiday gifts.

Last year was something of a slow one as far as major game releases, though it did contain several big hits, such as God of War Ragnarok, Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West. This year, though, players are likely to have a cornucopia of choices. Beyond Zelda and Spider-Man 2, expected titles include Diablo IV, Starfield, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Final Fantasy XVI, with more games likely to be announced mid-year, around the return of E3, the industry’s annual trade show.