1. Quick links
2. PS5 deals
3. Switch deals
4. Xbox deals
5. PC deals
Black Friday gaming deals will officially land towards the end of November, but we're already seeing retailers pushing their discounts live. Brands like Best Buy, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft all have either Holiday Sales or Black Friday banners live on their sites right now, which means savings are coming in thick and fast.
With Walmart's latest sale dropping earlier this week, we're pretty much in full swing for this year's event. That doorbuster selection is looking pretty heavily geared towards PS5 players, with record-low prices on Sony's own accessories like the DualSense Edge and Pulse Elite headset. However, the last few days have also brought PC prices crashing down at Newegg and plenty more Nintendo Switch deals at Woot as well.
Whether you're upgrading your console setup or springing for a whole new PC rig, I'm expecting to see some of the year's biggest savings in this year's holiday period. That's because both the Nintendo Switch and PS5 Slim are feeling the pressure right now. The former has its second iteration waiting in the wings for release in 2025 and the latter has seen several discounts so far this year. Throw in a premium $699.99 / £699.99 mid-cycle refresh, and you've got a recipe for some particularly tasty savings.
I've been tracking Black Friday gaming deals for years now, and I watch for PS5 deals, Xbox Series X deals and Nintendo Switch deals all year round. That means I've picked up a thing or two about the year's biggest sale season, and I'm sharing all my top tips and tricks right here.
Quick links
- Amazon: record low headset prices
- Best Buy: accessories from $4.99
- Dell: up to $1,000 off Alienware
- Newegg: up to 54% off components
- Walmart: games from $8.95
UK
- Amazon: games from £13.96
- Argos: Switch bundles in stock
- Currys: £50 off PS5
- Very: up to 30% off tech and gaming
The best Black Friday PS5 deals
The best Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals
The best Black Friday Xbox deals
The best Black Friday PC deals
What to expect from Black Friday gaming deals in 2024
While video game deals themselves get plenty of airtime, accessories receive the lion's share. Headsets, hard drives, and more are typically cut by huge amounts during the sale, and that makes it the best time to grab any peripherals you've had your eye on.
The best offers often feature subscription services like PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass, though. These always seem to get money off toward the end of November (as was the case again in 2023), and it's a great opportunity to renew your membership - or start a new one - ahead of the new year.
We've listed a few specifics based on platform below.
Nintendo
This could be a big one. While we've accepted now that we likely won't have a Nintendo Switch 2 until 2025, this could be the original model's final hurrah. That's not to say the standard, OLED, and Lite consoles won't stick around once the new release hits the shelves, but this is the last year they'll be top dogs. That means we could see a little extra wiggle room on the MSRP itself.
Traditionally, US Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals only tend to offer bundle savings, scoring you a free game or accessory with a full-priced console. Actual straight price cuts on the system itself are incredibly rare. With this being retailers' last chance to shift stock ahead of a new release, though, that could change in 2024.
PS5
2023 was an excellent year for PS5 deals in general. Not only is stock no longer an issue, but we saw the very first price cuts ever on the full console over the summer and two day-one bundles on the new PS5 Slim over Black Friday. Straight discounts didn't hit during the event itself, but that could change this year. After all, we've got the PS5 Pro to contend with on November 7 - a particularly impressive mid-cycle refresh. No, we're not expecting that $699.99 price tag to waver on Black Friday itself, but we could be in with a shot at some bundle deals. Instead, the PS5 Slim could well drop to its own record-lows again, having previously been spotted at $449 / £400 this year so far.
If you have any gaps in your game library from the past year or so, Black Friday PS5 deals offer you a chance to catch up. Everything from hot new releases to old favorites are discounted throughout the event, but it's well worth keeping a close eye on games released in the first half of the year for the biggest savings. Last year Hogwarts Legacy, Dead Island, Final Fantasy XVI, and Resident Evil 4 Remake all saw record low prices for the first time during Black Friday gaming deals. Of course, the usual classics are generally discounted during this time as well.
Of course, if you're library's all stocked up there are plenty of PS5 accessories to refresh your setup. The DualSense controller is likely to be a front runner this year, after enjoying record low prices of $49 / £39.99 in 2023. We're expecting costs to settle back to this position come November as well. However, if you're after something a little out of the box we'd also recommend keeping a close eye on the Victrix Pro BFG. Our favorite PS5 controller of the lot, it's already cheaper than the DualSense Edge and could be primed for its first major discounts this Black Friday. We haven't seen that $179.99 / £179.99 MSRP drop since this pro gamepad released in October 2022, but with a year on the shelves this could the time to score a saving.
Xbox
We also saw the Xbox Series X take its own price cuts over the course of 2023 with $50 / £50 off the console. That means we're expecting prices to hit $449 / £429 over the course of Black Friday 2024, but the Series S is poised to drop even more from that final price.
If you're already set for a console, though, Game Pass is going to be your next port of call. Years ago we celebrated far higher discounts on the $44.99 / £32.99 three month subscription but recent times (and a boost in popularity) has meant savings like these are harder to come by. Last year we tapped out at $39.99 in the US, with the UK seeing no change in that final price. In fact, these days the best way to save on an Xbox Game Pass deal over Black Friday is by checking out the best Xbox Series X accessories.
We often see some of the best Xbox controllers and the best Xbox Series X headsets discounted while also offering three months of Game Pass for free. We'd recommend keeping a close eye on both the Xbox Elite Series 2 (usually $179.99) and the newer Xbox Elite Series 2 Core (usually $129.99 / £114.99)
The former has dropped its price pretty much every year, but still doesn't stray too far from the $140 price point. With the Core coming close to that position at MSRP we wouldn't expect too much off in this year's Black Friday gaming deals, though should the Core controller drop to its previous record low $99.99 / £99.99 that story could be a little different.
PC
It's all about hardware for PC gamers. Keyboards, mice, headsets, and mics from across the spectrum get massive reductions of up to 60% or more, while prebuilt rigs also drop a few hundred dollars on the regular. In much the same way, laptops are worthy contenders for a saving. These machines receive some of the most noteworthy discounts of Black Friday, and those reductions are available everywhere from Amazon to Newegg. Considering the high price of the top gaming laptops to start with, Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to buy them as a result.
Black Friday gaming deals - FAQ
When will Black Friday gaming deals start?
The sales event of the year traditionally takes place toward the end of November - to be precise, the final Friday of the month. That means you can expect 2023's Black Friday gaming deals to occur on November 24.
However, they won't be limited to that one day. Black Friday kicks off much earlier than you might expect, and it continues into the following week as well (at which point the savings morph into Cyber Monday gaming deals). That means you should start keeping an eye out from mid-November - while the best discounts are reserved for Black Friday itself, lots of good ones will make an appearance before then.
Where will the best Black Friday gaming deals be?
Almost everyone tries to get in on Black Friday each year, so you can be sure that any retailer you visit will have price cuts of some description. Still, some are better than others. In our experience, these are the stores to prioritize:
USA
- Amazon: Usually the best for gaming discounts overall
- Dell: Offers a surprising variety of laptop discounts
- Best Buy: Offers surprisingly good PC peripheral deals
- Walmart: Good for general console game discounts
- Microsoft: Great for cheap Xbox games and accessories
- CDKeys: Heavy discounts on PC games
- Newegg: Excellent for PC components
- Gamestop: Regularly offers console bundles and merch discounts
UK
- Amazon: Traditionally the most reliable for variety and price-cuts
- Dell: Good for variety and powerful gaming laptop builds
- Currys: Great for Switch console bundles and general game deals
- Very: Regular discounts on games, consoles, and accessories
- Argos: Low prices often with same day delivery
- The Game Collection: Frequently has some of the best game prices
- CDKeys: Some of the best prices going on PC games
- Game: Big savings on merch and pre-owned games
Should you wait for Black Friday gaming deals?
Yes, you should definitely hold fire on any purchases until Black Friday gaming deals kick off at the end of November. Like all tech, games get significant price cuts throughout the event and many items hit all-time lows. That includes everything from the latest PS5 titles to Xbox consoles, so there's little benefit to jumping the gun here.
However, on the flip-side of that, you'll need to be quick when the sales roll around. They can sell out quickly, and many form blink-and-you'll-miss-it 'Lightning Deals' on Amazon. In other words, stay alert throughout the week of Black Friday - getting the best reductions will depend on it.
Gaming sales are some of the best on offer during Black Friday, and they aren't limited to one platform; we can look forward to Black Friday PS5 deals, Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals, and Black Friday Xbox Series X deals over the course of November. Unsurprisingly, this tech-heavy event will also be one to watch if you're hunting down Black Friday gaming PC deals or Black Friday gaming laptop deals. Those devices usually get the most scene-stealing discounts.
