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.
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.
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.
PS5
Predictions:
- PS5: $449 / £399
- PS5 Digital: $399 / £389
2023 has been 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. The US dropped the device to $449 (usually $499) and the UK took things all the way down to £399 (was £479) in August, heralding a fantastic new era for discounts. We're expecting these costs to return in November, if not before (such savings did briefly reappear in the UK in September).
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 we've got our eye on some 2023 picks in particular this year.
Hogwarts Legacy, Dead Island 2, Final Fantasy XVI, and Resident Evil 4 Remake are all going to be at the top of the hit list come November. Many of these 2023 releases have already seen some early discounts as well. Dead Island 2 has had its $69.99 / £59.99 MSRP slashed to $54 / £37 in recent sales, and Final Fantasy XVI has dropped all the way from $69.99 / £69.99 to $49.99 / £46.99 as well. That all bodes particularly well for this year's more recent crop of titles, but we've also seen older releases hitting some record low prices over the last 12 months as well. Ratchet and Clink: Rift Apart hit $29.99 / £27.99 for the first time this year - a price that would have been unthinkable during previous Black Friday gaming deals.
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
Predictions:
- Xbox Series X: $449 / £429
- Xbox Series S: $219 / £189
We've also seen the Xbox Series X take its own price cuts over the course of 2023 with $50 / £50 off the console so far. That means we're expecting prices to hit $449 / £429 over the course of Black Friday, but the Series S is poised to drop even more from that final price. Last year we saw the miniature console take some serious discounts, hitting $219.99 (usually $299.99) in the US and £189.99 (usually £249) in the UK. We're hoping for a return to these kinds of prices in November - we haven't seen any improvements on last year's Black Friday gaming deals since then after all.
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.
Nintendo
Even though official gear gets discounted in 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, Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals are poised to offer some strong discounts across Nintendo's library so it's a good time to fill up your shelf with the console's back-catalogue.
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.
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.
