Most Amazon Prime Day deals are simple: You see a product on sale, and you buy it. The PS5 Console – Horizon Forbidden West bundle, on the other hand, is a bit more of a crapshoot.
This elegant package contains the excellent PS5 console, and the equally excellent Horizon Forbidden West game, all for $20 less than you’d pay for them separately. The only catch is that it's tough to get it.
Here’s the pertinent information: the PS5 Console – Horizon Forbidden West bundle is currently $549 on Amazon. However, you can’t simply add it to your cart and purchase it. Instead, you have to request an invitation to buy the product. If Amazon approves your request, you’ll receive an e-mail with further instructions about how to buy it.
There’s no guarantee you’ll be able to buy the bundle. In fact, with the current demand for the PS5, we imagine that more buyers will fail than succeed. But there's a chance you could snag one.
Amazon describes the bundle as a “high-demand item with limited quantities,” so not every potential buyer will receive an invitation to buy one.
“To ensure that as many genuine customers as possible can buy this high-demand item, we sell it by invitation,” an Amazon disclaimer states. “If invited to purchase, you’ll get an email when the item is available. Not all requests will be granted.”
Tom’s Guide attempted to find out just how many PS5s Amazon intends to sell, but hard data is difficult to come by. Still, you can’t win if you don’t try — and trying seems to have very few drawbacks.
All you need is an active Amazon account. Requesting an invitation doesn’t cost any money, and you don’t need an Amazon Prime account. In fact, Amazon does not mention favoring Prime users, so it seems like everyone will have a fair chance. (Except for scalper bots, of course.)
Tom’s Guide has a more comprehensive tutorial on how to sign up for a PS5 bundle invitation, but it basically boils down to “request an invitation and hope for the best.” In an age of semiconductor shortages and supply chain woes, sometimes that’s the best you can do.
