Prime Day, or Amazon's Big Deal Days for October, begins now, but it's not the only retailer you should be keeping an eye on this week. Best Buy, Newegg, and Walmart all have their own competing sales so whether you're looking for discounted video games, accessories, peripherals, or hardware like consoles and PC components, it's a good time to shop. I'm here to walk you through the best alternatives live if you don't have a Prime membership and can't make the most of Amazon's exclusive offers.
I'm drawn to other retailers this year for that exact reason - my Prime membership expired, and I can't afford to renew it, so I'm here to ensure any and all discounts that are running at competing retailers are known to all. I've done the hard bit for you; I've scoured through the shelves, I've found the best deals on video games, tech, and gaming gadgets we've tried, tested, then recommended, and I've highlighted them down below.
I've looked for deals that are available at Amazon, but also for where Best Buy and Walmart have gone a step further and offered unique discounts of their own. The best thing about anti-Prime sales? You don't need to spend extra money on a membership, although some of the offers at some of the retailers admittedly do require you to sign up for their equivalents. I'm going to do my best to avoid those, though. I've got all the discounts and info you need, and I'll be tracking it all LIVE to keep you up to date as I shop for you.
Quick Links
Best Buy
- PS5: Games from $19
- Switch 2: Games and accessories from $29
- Xbox: Gears of War E-Day bundles
- PC gaming: Monitors, laptops, and desktops
- Video Games: Switch, PS5, and Xbox titles on offer
- Accessories: Controllers and headsets starting at $14.99
- VR: Headsets and accessories on offer
Walmart
- Top 100: Walmart's biggest and best
- Walmart's anti-prime sale: Take a look at all the offers
- Tech deals: TVs starting at $198
- PC: MSI and Asus Laptops from $1,199.99
- Mice: Corsair, Logi, Redragon, and more from $24
- Accessories: Controllers starting at $26
Newegg
- Fantastech: Take a look at all the retailer's deals
- Gaming deals: Keyboards, monitors, and more on offer
- Desktop PCs: $500+ savings during the RAMpocalypse
- PC components: Deals on CPUs, RAM, and storage
I've been serving as GamesRadar+'s hardware editor for four years now, covering all sorts of gaming hardware and technology. That also means I've been covering sales like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Best Buy's seasonal sales for just as long, so I know how to spot a good deal and which ones you should avoid.
Currently playing:
Control Resonant
Today's best deals under $50
Accessories, gadgets, and hardware
FAQs
When is the Techtober sale live until?
Best Buy says the Techtober sale will end this Sunday, so you have until the 11th of October to make the most of this year's anti-Prime Day discounts.
What benefits are there to becoming a Best Buy member?
If the paid memberships for Best Buy are offering their own deals in competition to Amazon, you might be wondering what benefits you get if it comes own to one or the other. With Prime, you obviously get Prime Video and music benefits as well as exclusive deals and free shipping.
You can join My Best Buy for free, and that gets you free standard shipping, perosnalized shopping, convenient checkout, and personalized shopping.
With Best Buy's Plus membership, which costs $29.99 per year, you get access to those exclusive savings, 1% back in rewards with qualifying purchases, extended returns and exchange periods, and free 2-day shipping.
Then there's Best Buy Total, which costs $199.99 per year and gets you the following perks:
- Protection plans including AppleCare+
- Computer and tablet support
- 24/7 VIP tech support
- 20% off repairs
- 1% back in rewards on qualifying purchases
- Exclusive savings
- Extended returns
- Free 2-day shipping
Should you wait until Black Friday?
Depending on what you're shopping for, waiting for Black Friday might make sense. However, I'm duty-bound to tell you that Black Friday has now become an entire season of discounts that starts now, in October. That means prices are worth watching from this point in the year onward. If you spot a price you're happy with, I'd buy whenever suits you up until November. No need to wait on some things these days when prices can already be at Black Friday level in October.
LIVE updates
Let's get deal hunting, shall we?
Howdy! My name's Duncan; I'll be guiding you through the Best Buy deal trenches this week. Come along for the ride if you want to keep up to date with all the latest and greatest Best Buy offers for gamers.
Here are a few reasons why you should trust my coverage over an AI summary or shopping assistant:
-I've been covering these sorts of sales for over four years now, so I know what I'm looking for, and know what deals are utterly pants and not worth your hard-earned cash.
-I actually have hands-on time with so much of the hardware you'll see on this blog. If I haven't reviewed something myself, I'll be using my colleagues' expert advice to guide what I suggest; that way, I can be assured you're getting a decent recommendation.
-I hate how expensive gaming is as a hobby, and I'm not the biggest fan of Amazon either, so I want to make sure people shopping on a budget and who don't have a Prime membership this week actually get some good recommendations.
-An AI would probably use my advice anyway, so you might as well just get the best information straight from the source.
First off, it's nearly E-Day
Gears of War E-Day launches tomorrow! That means if you're a long-term fan of the franchise and you haven't yet got yourself an Xbox console, now's a good time to jump back in.
Best Buy has an entire page of bundle offers dedicated to this game, and although the black Series X options seem to be all sold out now, the Series S ones are still going spare.
To level with you, it might also be worth looking into a Game Pass membership since that'll give you immediate access to a huge library of games, but if you're only really interested in jumping back into Gears, then these Series S offers might be your best bet for getting a compatible platform to play on.
My favorite deal so far... as a controller critic
As you may have seen from my bio box, I'm a controller reviewer, and I recently went back to one of my all-time favorite gamepads while I play Control Resonant. This is such, suuuch a good controller, and while its original black colorway is very easy on the eye, the Anniversary Xbox version is so damn stylish.
And would you know...
It's on sale at Best Buy right now.
It's down from its $199.99 price to $149.99, which is massive for a premium and extremely feature-rich Xbox Series X controller. I'd argue this is one of the most premium controllers on the shelves actually, so to see it drop to this price in its fancy colorway, which can be hard to find elsewhere in the US? Yeah, this is my favorite deal.
Nacon Revolution X Unlimited Anniversary Edition: $149.99 at Best Buy
One of this year's GOTY dark horse picks?
Star Wars Zero Company has been one of the more popular singleplayer games across platforms this year, and wouldn't you know it, it's discounted at Best Buy.
If you like strategic turn-based combat with a solid narrative and you're a fan of Star Wars, definitely consider this one. It's still a new game, only launching in the summer, so you're getting a bit of a surprise discount here. Fans of Baldur's Gate 3 might find a GOTY dark horse here...
Star Wars Zero Company: $47.99 at Best Buy
Need a 4K TV quick fix?
If you're in need of a 4K TV and you're not all that fussed about its specs, features, or gaming capabilities, Best Buy has this deal running that you might want to check out.
The Insignia brand is pretty well-known in the discount aisle, and with Fire TV innards, it'll do all the Smart TV stuff you want it to for streaming. It's got a 4K panel that works via LED tech, so it won't blow your mind with its visuals, but the main thing is that it's a 55" size and it's cheap as all hell. Like, under $200 cheap.
Again, don't expect to go PC gaming at massive frame rates or have OLED-level quality, but this is certainly a quick fix that doesn't break the bank.
Insignia F50 Series: $189.99 at Best Buy
Another 2026 game is seeing a discount
Would you classify yourself as a stealth goblin? That's the question you're going to ask yourself for this next deal, which is on Styx: Blades of Greed, where you play as.. well, as a stealth goblin.
I'm sorry, I need my lunch break, so my comedy skills are dwindling.
This is another game that came out in 2026, and it reviewed pretty well, but it's already seeing that sweet, sweet discount treatment.
Not only is it discounted, but it's actually half off. If you're a fan of stealth games, this is one for you.
Styx: Blades of Greed: $24.99 at Best Buy
Will you spare no expense when it comes to audio?
Are you an audiophile? In the gaming realm, that's defined as someone who is willing to spend a lot of money on audio hardware because they seriously appreciate their sound design, soundtracks, or just get really competitive when it comes to enemy footsteps.
If that sounds at all like you, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni is on offer. That's the top-drawer headset from SteelSeries, and it's the best our headset guru Rose has ever tested. It hasn't got the biggest discount at the moment, but it's down from its full price of $399.99.
What?? I told you an audiophile was willing to spend a lot of money.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: $359.99 at Best Buy
Newegg's Fantastech sale is back again
While we're at it, why not look for the best anti-Prime Day offers from other retailers too? After all, they're all in on it.
Take Newegg, for example, which is always my favourite place to shop for deals when it comes to prebuilt PCs, components, and PC building accessories. The brand's Fantastech sale always runs in time with Prime Day, and it offers daily drops of new offers which are usually exclusive to its shelves.
If you're a PC builder during the RAMpocalypse, I'd head to Newegg's Fantastech sale.
Speaking of Newegg...
Okay, I don't know who on earth owns a Nintendo Switch 2 and has $400 to spend, but for the sheer lunacy of this offer, I need to spotlight it.
Newegg is currently offering a deal on... *checks notes*... two separate $200 Nintendo eShop gift cards, which it is selling for... *checks notes*... $340.
So if you want to save yourself $60 on Nintendo money, go absolutely nuts!
2 x $200 Nintendo Gift Cards: $340 at Newegg
Walmart is selling the Steam Deck
I have no idea how this is happening since Valve usually sells its own hardware exclusively, but Walmart currently has listings for the famously out-of-stock Steam Deck. There are various bundles being offered, like the handheld with an SD card, the handheld with a carrying case, or just the OLED model on its own, which you can find below.
Steam Deck OLED: $832 at Walmart
Is it time for a Switch 2?
With the Ocarina of Time Remake on its way, now might be the time to finally grab yourself a Switch 2 console. Walmart is currently shifting them for $25 off, which isn't a massive deal, but if you're trying to avoid Amazon at the moment, Walmart might offer you a closer pickup and help shave off more costs on delivery (or a Prime membership).
Nintendo Switch 2: $474.95 at Walmart
In the current landscape, this is a great PC deal
Chances are, if you've been keeping up with the news in 2026, buying a new gaming PC seems so out of the realm of possibility because of RAM prices.
I have to say though, this build from MSI over at Walmart is surprisingly impressive for its current price. As a PC reviewer, I'd recommend this for the money.
Specs: AMD Ryzen 7 8700F, RTX 5060 Ti, 16GB of DDR5, 1TB SSD
MSI Codex: $999 at Walmart
I'll be back tomorrow!
I'm heading offline for now since we've reached the end of my work day, but I'll be back tomorrow to keep shopping around for more gaming deals that aren't coming from Amazon this week. There are a lot of shelves left for me to check so if you feel generous, bookmark the page and come back to check in over the next few days.
For now, there are plenty of offers I've listed from Best Buy's Techtober sales up above, and I've done a fair bit of recommending in these live updates today too so take a look at those.
Ciao for now, and I'll be back tomorrow!
Hello! Time to get deal hunting again
Greetings, gamers! It is I, your friendly neighbourhood Hardware Editor back again to help you find the best anti-Prime Day deals on games, accessories, and hardware. I'm currentl;y doing a dift through Walmart and Newegg to see if i can find some deals to spotlight alongside the Best Buy Techtober ones I put up at the top yesterday, so stick around, we're just getting started for the day.
The Quest 3S is back to its proper price
It's been a rough year for the Meta Quest headsets. Price increases, studio closures, layoffs, the next Quest headset not even being a Quest device at all. It's hard times.
But thankfully, the price of the Quest 3S headsets has been brought back down to their pre-bump levels, which means you can get your accessible VR gaming back if the Steam Frame's cost is a little too much to stomach right now. Both the 128GB and 256GB models are on offer, so hit the links below if you're interested.
This is one I'd grab while you can since there's no guarantee this price will return come Black Friday. To be completely honest, I'm surprised to see it at all.
Meta Quest 3S 128GB: $297 at Best Buy
Meta Quest 3S 256GB: $382 at Best Buy
The G7 Pro has arrived at the party too
You may have seen headlines about this controller as the "one everyone is switching to" or the "best value controller", or even the best PC controller overall, according to PC Gamer. For us, it's stolen a lot of accolades as well, coming in as the best TMR controller, the best value Xbox controller, and just overall one of the best pound-for-pound gamepads on the shelves.
That's for good reason; it really is fantastic for the money.
It's now seeing discounts at Walmart and Best Buy in its various colorways. Its PC-dedicated 8,000Hz polling rate version is also seeing a discount, so check the links below.
GameSir G7 Pro: $63.99 at Walmart
GameSir G7 Pro 8K: $69.99 at Best Buy
If you're building a PC right now...
This is one of my favorite motherboards. I helped my friend build his first-ever PC on this board, and it made things very easy for me to teach him how it all fit together.
It's only $10 more expensive than the non-Max version, so you're getting a decent deal here.
MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI II: $219.99 at Newegg
PS5 players, here's a pro controller for you
The Scuf Omega arrived in the PS5 controller market earlier in 2026, so to see it getting a discount already is a bit surprising.
This is a premium and feature-rich gamepad with six extra buttons, two of which come in the form of unique side clickers. In our testing, these were annoyingly easy to press, but if they're your thing, I'm sure you'll adjust to them.
Scuf Omega: $186.99 at Best Buy
My daily driver headset is on offer at Best Buy
If the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro or Omni are too expensive for you, I can recommend the mid-range instead.
I use the Nova 7 Gen 2, which comes with the same design, great drivers, and simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity, so you can take calls or listen to music on your phone while also playing games through the USB-C dongle. It's currently seeing a $15 saving, which isn't much, but could be a saving grace if you don't see a way of affording the higher-end options.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2: $184.99 at Best Buy
Speaking of great mid-range headsets...
This is another daily driver gaming headset for me, and I absolutely love its premium feel and excellent sound quality. I'd go so far as to say it's one of the most comfortable headsets I've worn, and it's one of the better-sounding ones too.
It's going even cheaper than the Nova 7 Gen 2 is, and while it doesn't have simultaneous Bluetooth abilities, there is a toggle switch on it that lets you quickly swap between Bluetooth and USB.
The Fractal Scape is seeing a small discount at Best Buy but a more generous saving at Newegg and Walmart, so I'll let you decide which suits you better.
Fractal Scape: $169.99 at Walmart / $169.99 at Newegg
PS5 and Xbox players can get Lego Batman for $10 less
If one of this year's charmers passed you by because you didn't want to pay full price for a Lego game, here's a fix for you. Annoyingly, this doesn't apply to Switch 2 players, but Xbox and PS5 gamers can benefit.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is currently seeing a modest $10 discount at Best Buy, bringing it down from $69.99 to $59.99 thanks to the Techtober sale.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight: $59.99 at Best Buy
