How has the Black Friday shopping experience changed?
Thanksgiving, for the most part, is for eating, sleeping and sleeping some more. Black Friday, in recent years, has come to represent the end of the weekend as well as the beginning of the holiday season. Small business owners are preparing to cash in, with many stores opening earlier than ever and offering extended hours. However, for several large retailers and gaming companies, this year’s Black Friday will be a little different.
Nintendo Switch and Xbox One X bundles are two major holiday game launches expected this year, and both have been aggressively marketed heavily by retailers, with Microsoft advertising its bundle deal as the “best” Black Friday deal. Other bundles from video game companies such as “Mass Effect: Andromeda” and “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands” will also be available. However, some consoles have not yet been released, meaning you’ll need to be up-to-date with the latest games and get ready to spend your cash before those get in their hands.
Black Friday always brings big sales on video games, and this year will be no different. The Consumer Electronics Association’s data shows that last year, 21 percent of all Americans bought a video game. There will be a number of major releases coming to the market this year as well, including the highly anticipated “Red Dead Redemption 2” and “Overwatch,” which just came out last month. This year’s games are expected to be particularly expensive, with some getting up to $70 discounts, including a number of “Star Wars” games. If you’re hoping to buy some new gaming hardware for yourself or your loved ones this year, there will be plenty of good deals to go around.
So, what exactly can you buy?
For older versions of gaming consoles, games and accessories such as controllers, console bundles are the best deals. Check your local stores for the most up-to-date deals, but game store sites like GameStop, Best Buy and GameSpot also feature a number of sale items, including bundles for $200 or less. To find the absolute best deals, check our list of top Black Friday games, consoles and accessories from year to year.
In addition to video games, the PC market has also seen a rise in sales this year, so buying some major games for the system can be worthwhile if you’re buying new hardware. Cyber Monday, which falls right before Black Friday, also has a variety of great deals on everything from laptops to external hard drives. Here are some of the best deals we have seen, listed by store:
Also of note is that gaming PC and console sales have been offering DLC codes for games in the system you’re buying, meaning if you’re buying a new console or game for your computer, you can get a code for playing in “Call of Duty: WW2,” for example. Many stores have already offered up discount codes for almost every major game, including “Star Wars Battlefront II,” “Evolve” and “Portal: No Escape.”
We should point out that because of the holiday shopping season and the early holiday launch of both consoles and games, this list will be updated frequently over the next few weeks.