GameStop is offering its premium-level customers the opportunity to make $69 to switch teams from PlayStation to Xbox, swapping out their old consoles for refurbished units. This latest marketing strategy from GameStop doesn’t seem all that popular on the surface, but it could be a way for gamers desperate for some quick cash to make a little money while still having a modern-day console to play.
Still the largest brick-and-mortar video game retail chain store brand in the world, GameStop’s presence is only a fraction of what it once was, with the rise of online shopping and the gradual move towards digital game downloads having an effect across the entire video game retail industry for well over a decade. Hitting its peak of more than 6,000 locations globally in the mid-2010s, GameStop store closures have since cut that number by more than half, with more than 400 locations reportedly closing in January 2025 alone. In the aftermath, the company has managed to keep stores open through the evolution of its business strategy, which sometimes involves implementing some unconventional dealings for a video game store, like cell phone buybacks and trading card grading.
GameStop Makes Bold Declaration About the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U That Will Make You Feel Old
GameStop shares an announcement about the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U that leaves gaming fans feeling much older than they thought they were.
GameStop Wants to Pay Players to Switch from PlayStation to Xbox
In one such campaign that was recently announced, GameStop is offering some customers the chance to trade in their PlayStation 5 consoles for a refurbished Xbox Series S and up to $69. According to GameStop, that humorous-sounding dollar amount was chosen because it reflects the difference in Pro Store Credit between a PlayStation 5 Slim Console Disc Edition and a refurbished Xbox Series S 512 GB model.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Before players rush out to their nearest GameStop location with a PS5 in hand, there are some caveats hidden in the fine print of this deal, which is valid through April 4. Firstly, the offer is only available to customers who are enrolled in the GameStop Pro Membership program, which carries a subscription fee of $25 per year but offers additional benefits on trade-ins and used game purchases. Next, GameStop personnel will be inspecting the traded-in PS5 units to make sure they’re in good working order and contain all the necessary components, and units that do not meet store standards will not receive the full trade value. All trades will be final, and they will be closed at the store employees’ discretion.
Based on the comments on GameStop’s post, it doesn’t appear like there are a lot of people interested in switching from PS5 to Xbox Series S. While both Xbox and PlayStation still have their die-hard fans, Microsoft released the Series S as a budget-friendly alternative to the more powerful Series X, which is a fact that many gamers seem well aware of. Per Xbox’s own website, the superior features of the standard Series X include nearly double the baseline storage space, a processor that’s three times more powerful, and resolution in True 4K, as opposed 1080p on the Series S. Games are still being released with compatibility for both models, but even recent comparisons between Xbox Series X and S show the Series S having restricted access to high performance modes, and testers making note of a noticeable drop in visual quality when playing on a Series S.
The offer is also a very unusual one, considering that GameStop built its empire on the sale of used games. Unlike the Xbox Series X and the exact model of PlayStation 5 the company used to determine that $69 price differential, the Xbox Series S has no disc drive, and it is therefore unable to play any physical games, which used to be the backbone of GameStop’s business model. GameStop isn’t even the first retailer to make such a confusing move, as in 2023, German electronics store MediaMarkt failed to recognize the lack of an Xbox Series S disc drive, inexplicably bundling it for sale with physical copies of FIFA 23.
