If you ordered your PS5 directly from Sony, you get a gift code for free avatars

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

Players who purchased the PS5 directly from Sony received a  gift code for free avatars in their order. 

The PS5 officially launched yesterday on November 12, and social media has been flooded with pictures of people receiving their next-gen console. Those who pre-ordered the machine directly from Sony also received a pleasant little surprise in the form of a "thank you" card with a gift code, which gives you free avatars when you redeem it on the PlayStation store.  

"Congratulations on your PlayStation 5. The big day is finally here," the back of the card reads. "Thank you for your support. We really hope you enjoy your journey. As a small token of our appreciation, please visit PlayStationstore.com to redeem a special gift. Welcome to the next generation of gaming."

The code is said to give you eight "unique avatars", but there does appear to be a few reports of players who are unable to redeem it. Since the console arrived, many players have taken to Reddit and Twitter to say that the code they received doesn't appear to be working. 

User Felder71 says when they tried to redeem it, "PSN said it was inactive." While they chalk it up to potentially being a result of not having set up the PS5 yet, several others in the replies claim they're experiencing the same problem. Some also say that they get an error message stating the code has already been redeemed. It could very well be that the code hasn't been activated yet in some regions since the console has just launched. Hopefully, players will still be able to get their free goodies in due course. 

Check out what we thought of Sony's next-gen console in our PS5 review or watch the video below. 

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.