Xbox series X stock - live: BT restock sells out plus how to pre-order Microsoft’s mini fridge

Xbox series X stock - live: BT restock sells out plus how to pre-order Microsoft’s mini fridge

UPDATE: EE and BT restocks sell out, plus how to pre-order the Xbox series X mini fridge from Game

Launched in November 2020, the Xbox series X continues to be sold out absolutely everywhere online. A perfect storm of global chip shortages and supply chain bottlenecks has slowed production of Microsoft’s next-gen console to a crawl, leaving shoppers in the UK wondering where to buy the Xbox.

The smaller, cheaper and less powerful Xbox series S is easier to find online and on the high street, but the more advanced Xbox series X sells out almost as soon as new stock appears. Knowing where the series X will be restocked next is key to grabbing one in time.

So if you’re wondering where to buy an Xbox series X in the UK today, our stock-tracking liveblog is here to help. We’ll update you with the latest stock drops as soon as they happen, as well as any news on predicted restock dates, new games and accessories and milestone events.

Read more:

Check stock from UK Xbox series X retailers below:

Key Points

  • Xbox series X stock arrives in BT online store

  • Where can we expect to see Xbox stock this week?

  • EE Xbox restock disappears in seconds

  • Can you buy an Xbox series X on the high street?

BT now sold out

16:03 , Alistair Charlton

The BT store showing the Xbox series X as sold out (BT)
The BT store showing the Xbox series X as sold out (BT)

It looks like the BT store is now sold out of today’s Xbox series X restock. The console looked to be available for a good while, showing that BT’s VIP code system appears to be working. This is where BT customers apply for a code, which is then emailed out when stock is available, and used to claim a console, which shoppers then pay for as normal. Congratulations to any readers who managed to buy one!

What is Xbox All Access?

16:01 , Alistair Charlton

 (Microsoft)
(Microsoft)

If you’d rather pay for your Xbox in monthly installments, then Xbox All Access might be for you. Set up by Microsoft and offered through Game and Smyths Toys (when stock is actually available, of course), All Access includes the console and Game Pass Ultimate.

There’s no upfront cost and the Xbox series X costs £28.99 a month for 24 months. The less powerful (and far more readily available) Xbox series S is £20.99 a month for 24 months. No physical games are included, but access to Game Pass Ultimate means you can play a catalogue of over 100 games from the cloud, on your Xbox or PC.

How to buy an Xbox series X online

15:27 , Alistair Charlton

 (The Independent)
(The Independent)

Since there are no new restocks to report on, let’s go over some of basic tips when it comes to securing a console. Preparation is the key to success here, and there are a bunch of things you can do right now to ensure you’re ready when the next restock happens.

  • Register an account and save your payment details at each of the retailers that stock the Xbox series X. They’re listed in the main article above

  • Are you a BT customer, or know somebody who is? Register your interest on the BT site to get exclusive access to BT’s next drop

  • Download each retailer’s app (if they have one) and add the Xbox series X to your wish list or “save for later” list

  • When the console drops, use the link in your wish list to add the Xbox to your trolley – this usually has a higher success rate than navigating through the website

  • Keep note of the prices of bundles to ensure you’re getting a good deal. Rounding up, the console itself is £450, controllers are £50, the official headset is £90, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs £11 per month. Newly released game are around £60, but retailers usually bundle older games with the console

  • The pay-as-you-go Xbox All Access programme is good value for money, so long as you don’t already have a Game Pass subscription

You can play Xbox games on your laptop

15:01 , Alistair Charlton

 (The Independent)
(The Independent)

You don’t actually need an Xbox series X to play Xbox series X games. Instead, you just need a fast enough internet connection and a compatible streaming device.

Xbox Cloud Gaming streams games from Microsoft’s servers to your console, laptop or phone, via your internet browser or the Xbox app. How does cloud gaming work? It’s a bit like being on a Zoom call with a game that you’re controlling, meaning you can jump into new games at the push of a button rather than waiting around for an installation. You control it as normal, but the game is running on Microsoft’s servers, which then stream the sound and picture of the game to your device.

Cloud gaming requires a membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (£32.99,Argos.co.uk), which unlocks on-demand access to more than 100 games. Thankfully, decent laptops are much easier to find than the Xbox series X. If you’re thinking of upgrading, check out our list of the best laptops in 2021.

Sign up to the Indy

14:02 , Alistair Charlton

 (The Independent)
(The Independent)

Have we helped you find an Xbox series X? Are you now keen for more shopping insights? Why not sign up to the free IndyBest newsletter, where you can access the best deals and round-ups of the week’s must-have products chosen by IndyBest experts.

Dropping into your inbox every Friday morning, the handy digest features items from our tried and tested reviews by pros in the field – helping you make the most informed choice with your hard-earned cash.

Get the IndyBest newsletter and access to all of The Independent’s other newsletters now. You won’t regret it.

The best gaming deals this Black Friday

13:28 , Alistair Charlton

 (The Independent)
(The Independent)

We know it’s still only mid-October, but Black Friday 2021 will be with us before you know it. Falling on 26 November, the shopping event of the year is likely to kick off earlier than that, with retailers expected to cut prices a week or even an entire month in advance.

There are always lots of technology deals to take advantage of during the Black Friday sales, with lots of discounts to be had on video game consoles, games, accessories and more. We can’t promise discounts on the still-tricky-to-find Xbox series X and PlayStation 5, nor the Nintendo Switch OLED, but you can definitely expect to see money off games, accessories, other consoles and digital services.

Retailers like Game, Currys and Amazon will be cutting prices across a huge range of video games and related products, making it the perfect time to expand your game collection, grab a new controller, or renew your online gaming subscriptions.

What’s the difference between Xbox series X and series S?

13:04 , Alistair Charlton

 (Microsoft)
(Microsoft)

We’re over half way through October with hardly any Xbox series X stock drops in sight. So let’s brush up on the fundamentals. Know your enemy and all that.

There are two next-gen Xboxes, the less powerful Xbox series S and the top-of-the-range Xbox series X.

All Xbox games old and new will run on both consoles, though on the less powerful Xbox series S the overall graphics quality will be dialled down. The Xbox series S does not have a disc drive, has half the storage capacity and can only play downloaded games. The Xbox series S is much easier to find in stock than the series X. It’s also cheaper and costs just £249 (Amazon.co.uk).

Here are the details, if you’re into comparing teraflops.

Xbox series S specs:

  • CPU: Custom Zen 2 8-core CPU

  • GPU: 4 TFLOPS, 20 CUS

  • Memory: 10GB GDDR6

  • Storage: 512GB SSD

  • Resolution: 1440p at 60fps

Xbox series X specs:

  • CPU: AMD 8-core Zen 2 @ 3.8 GHz

  • GPU: 12TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz

  • Memory: 16GB GDDR6

  • Storage: 1TB custom WD SSD, optional 1T

  • Resolution: 4K at 60fps

How to buy a PS5

12:31 , Alistair Charlton

 (The Independent)
(The Independent)

If you’re considering switching from Xbox to PlayStation then we have some good news for you – the PS5 is easier to buy than the Xbox series X. Or rather, it’s slightly easier to buy. Restocks at UK retailers have been happening more often than with the Xbox series X, and stock tends to hang around for a little longer too. Some retailers even give advance notice of when stock will arrive. Dreamy.

Of course, the IndyBest team is here to help you grab a PS5 the moment a restock happens. To get all of the latest news and tips on how to buy a PS5, head over to our PS5 UK restock live blog.

How to pre-order the Xbox series X mini fridge

12:02 , Alistair Charlton

The Xbox series X mini fridge opens for pre-order on 19 October (Microsoft)
The Xbox series X mini fridge opens for pre-order on 19 October (Microsoft)

Yes, really. Microsoft is making a mini fridge that looks just like an Xbox series X, only large enough to chill 12 cans of your favourite beverage. The fridge is priced at £89.99 and is available exclusively through Game in the UK. Pre-orders open on 19 October and Microsoft says the Xbox mini fridge is due to ship from December.

The fridge, which contains two shelves and has a 10-litre capacity, measures 462 x 232 x 232mm.

Xbox series X stock arrives in BT online store

11:34 , Alistair Charlton

BT customers are now able to order an Xbox series X from the telecom’s online store. Instead of this being a free-for-all, the consoles can only be bought by BT customers using a unique code. These codes are emailed out to customers who have previously registered to receive one.

If that’s you, then check your inbox now! It should contain an email from BT with the all-important code – then head to the BT store, sit in the virtual queue and, hopefully, you’ll be given the chance to buy an Xbox.

How big is the Xbox series X?

11:31 , Alistair Charlton

Xbox series X|S size comparison (Microsoft)
Xbox series X|S size comparison (Microsoft)

Although not as massive as the PS5, the Xbox series X is still a pretty big console, while the cheaper and less powerful series S is significantly smaller. While we wait patiently for more stock to arrive, here is how the two consoles compare:

The Xbox series X is 30.1cm tall when stood up on its end, and has a square footprint of 15.1 x 15.1cm. It weighs 4.45kg.

The Xbox series S is 27.5cm tall when stood up on its end, and has a footprint of 15.1 x 6.5cm, making it much slimmer than the series X. It weighs much less too, at 1.93kg.

Is Currys due an Xbox restock?

11:02 , Alistair Charlton

It has been a ling time since Currys last had an Xbox series X restock. In fact, it’s been over a month, with the last drop of consoles landing on 7 September, some six weeks ago. Before that, we saw three restocks in August, so it’s a shame that Currys hasn’t been able to keep up the momentum it had in the summer. The £249 Xbox series S is available, of course, but the Currys website doesn’t even list the series X at this moment.

We hope a restock arrives soon. but for now there’s no telling when that might happen.

When did Very last have an Xbox restock?

10:32 , Alistair Charlton

It has now been over a month since Very last had an Xbox series X restock. That happened on 14 September, and before that we saw one on 24 August and 20 July. It seems that Very only restocks the console once per month, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that fresh stock will land before the end of October. For now, the retailer’s website simply states that series X stock is “coming soon”.

Will Smyths Toys have an Xbox restock this month?

09:55 , Alistair Charlton

Yes, it will. At least, that’s what the retailer’s website currently says. There isn’t an exact date just yet, but the Xbox series X listing on the Smyths website says stock is expected in October. Smyths last had an Xbox restock, albeit via Xbox All Access, on 24 September, so the next drop could also be towards the end of the month.

Prior to this, Smyths restocked on 8 June, and 5 and 10 August.

EE Xbox restock disappears in seconds

09:25 , Alistair Charlton

Xbox series X at EE (EE)
Xbox series X at EE (EE)

EE customers were very briefly treated to an Xbox series X restock at 9:15 this morning. The consoles were available through the EE app and website, exclusively to EE customers at a price of £45 per month for 11 months plus £10 upfront. However, the consoles disappeared in a matter of seconds. Hopefully this was a misfire by EE and more consoles will be made available later today. We’ll keep you posted!

Can you buy an Xbox series X on the high street?

09:13 , Alistair Charlton

Yes you can...at least in theory. Stock in physical stores is just as difficult to track down as it is online. Both Smyths and Game occasionally have Xbox stock in-store, with the latter adding individual consoles to its website when they are available to buy in person. The site currently shows zero stock right across the UK (of course), but we have seen the odd console appear there before. So it’s worth checking the site regularly, and calling into your local store if you can.

Game doesn’t list in-store stock online, but the Twitter accounts for its shops are fairly active, tweeting when console stock is available. There’s also a Twitter list, so you can keep an eye on the tweets of every Game store across the UK in one place. Good luck!

When did Game last have an Xbox restock?

09:02 , Alistair Charlton

 (The Independent)
(The Independent)

Game hasn’t had an online Xbox series X restock since 24 September, and this was only via Microsoft’s pay-monthly Xbox All Access programme. Prior to that, the console was available in-store on 8 September, and we saw a whole bunch of restocks through the previous month, on 3, 4, 5, 13, 25 and 26 August.

As is often the case, Game has the cheaper Xbox series S (£249.99, Game.co.uk) is stock now and ready to buy on its own, through All Access for £20.99 a month, or as part of a range of bundles. The Xbox series X is not in stock at all, you won’t be surprised to learn, and we don’t know when it will be back in stock.

Where can we expect to see Xbox stock this week?

08:42 , Alistair Charlton

This is becoming an increasingly tricky question to answer. Through the first half of October we only saw a handful of restocks, at AO, Asda and BT, plus a blink-and-you-missed-it restock through the John Lewis app.

This of course means other retailers, like ShopTo, Game, Very, Argos and Smyths should all be restocking over the next week or so. But what if some simply aren’t going to have a restock in October at all? It’s too early on a Monday morning to even contemplate such a thought for now, so let’s stay positive and hope for some restocks landing this week...

When did Argos last have an Xbox restock?

08:31 , Alistair Charlton

Argos is one of several retailers yet to offer any Xbox series X stock in October. In fact, we haven’t seen availability from Argos since 24 September, and that was via the Xbox All Access programme. Prior to that, we saw a tiny online restock on 9 September, and a click-and-collect drop on 10 August.

Argos tends to restock on a geographical basis, so when stock finally arrives you need to enter your postcode into the website, and hope there’s stock local to you. Stock is usually added to the website gradually, so refreshing the page is often the quickest way to see when stock lands in your local area.

Good morning!

08:25 , Alistair Charlton

Good morning and welcome back to another week of Xbox series X hunting with the IndyBest team! October has been a painfully quiet month for Xbox restocks so far, but we’re ever the optimists and hope to see some fresh consoles arrive at retailers this week. Stay tuned to this live blog for the latest Xbox series X restock news the moment we have it.