Black Friday gaming deals offer your best chance to save on must-have gear, so we've roused our bargain-hunters from their slumber in preparation of 2023's best discounts. What should we be looking out for, where are the top offers going to appear, and will we finally be able to get a darn PS5 console?
Because the team's been covering this sales event for quite some time, they don't need crystal balls or the power of foresight to predict what's coming in 2023's Black Friday gaming deals. We've seen savings of up to 50% on the year's hottest games before, and that means this is your chance to catch up on anything you've missed in the last few months. Hardware (like headsets and SSDs) is also guaranteed to be significantly reduced.
To make the most of these offers, check out the hints and tips listed below. No matter which platform you play on, they'll help you prepare for Black Friday gaming deals 2023.
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.
Should you wait for the Black Friday gaming deals?
Yes, you should definitely hold fire on any purchases until the 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.
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
Black Friday gaming deals - what to expect
While Black Friday 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 2022), 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.
- PlayStation: If you have any gaps in your game library from the past year or so, the Black Friday gaming deals offer you a chance to catch up. Everything from hot new releases to old favorites are discounted throughout the event, and those reductions are only matched by accessories for the platform (e.g. headsets and internal SSDs, which always get best-of-year offers). Oh, and don't forget about services like PlayStation Plus either. It's not unusual to see them drop in price during November.
- Xbox: Games are star of the show in annual Black Friday gaming deals on Xbox. Both new and old titles from the last few years get dramatic cuts, so November is the perfect opportunity to try out anything you missed. Similarly, headsets and hard drives are worth looking into as well. These essential bits of kit get very decent savings, to the point that we'd actually hold off purchasing them until Black Friday rolls around. And as we said above, keep an eye out for services like Game Pass. It's not uncommon to see discounts on them around this time.
- Nintendo: Even though official gear gets discounted in the Black Friday gaming deals, we usually enjoy a lot more reductions on third-party accessories like controllers from PowerA (the same is true of headsets, not to mention cases). There are usually some good Nintendo Switch bundles too. While these are snapped up fast and don't always include the very latest games, they're excellent value for money and make the perfect starter set for Nintendo's console. Speaking of games, these are normally slashed in price as well so it's a good time to fill up your shelf with the console's back-catalogue. Just don't expect loads of money off - the best we can usually hope for is $10 to $20.
- 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.
Will there be PS5 and Xbox Series X Black Friday gaming deals?
Discounts on PS5 or Xbox Series X games and accessories are a given for this year's Black Friday gaming deals, but we wouldn't count on reductions for the consoles themselves. They're selling much too well for that, and we can't imagine a price cut will land until smaller, slimmer versions of the machines hit shelves at some point in the future.
That said, a PS5 or Xbox Series X stock drop during the sales event is likely. While they'll still be hard to find due to component shortages and increased demand, we tend to get stock for both systems at least once a week so can imagine retailers holding some aside for Black Friday itself. Just don't expect them to last long...
Last year's best Black Friday gaming deals
Want to get a better idea of what you can expect from the annual Black Friday gaming deals? We've listed our favorite offers from 2022 below, and they should give you some inkling of what to focus on.
USA
UK
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.
