I wish I'd waited for Black Friday PS5 deals before buying these games

PS5 games on a blue background with Black Friday deals badge — (Image credit: Future)

Every year it's the same. I spend the final week of November ravenously hunting through Black Friday PS5 deals to surface the biggest offers on the latest games all while feeling a slight twang of regret at giving into my itch to buy on day one. 2023 has been kind to my growing physical collection, I've been melting zombies in Dead Island 2 (finally), sweating my way through Dead Space, casting all manner of the wrong spells in Hogwarts Legacy, and creeping through Baghdad in Assassin's Creed Mirage. Not wanting to miss out, I've spent a total of $329.95 to play all these games from the moment they launched. So it's difficult to realize I could have saved $135 if I'd waited for this year's Black Friday offers - and got some extra Dead Island swag in the process.

That's right, Black Friday PS5 deals are absolutely storming it right now. You'll find Star Wars Jedi: Survivor available for just $29.99 (was $69.99) at Amazon, Assassin's Creed: Mirage is down from $59.99 to $39.99 at Best Buy, the full Dead Island 2 HELL-A edition (with all the extra collectables) is now $49.99 at Amazon - that's $99.99 worth of kit for less than the price of the standard game.

Yes, some of these games were always going to be day one purchases. After all, I've been waiting for Dead Island 2 for nearly ten years - Black Friday wasn't even a thought when I pre-ordered. However, given the fact that I'm yet to take my first steps in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (it's still wearing its plastic wrap of shame) I feel that 2023 might be the year I learn my lesson for good. Games are expensive enough these days, and I'm still kicking myself for not making the most of my PS Plus subscription while I waited for those prices to drop. My eyes have been bigger than my free time allowed this year - and Black Friday PS5 deals have spelled that out plainly.

Today's best Black Friday PS5 game deals

Assassin's Creed: Mirage | ~~$59.99~~ $39.99 at Best Buy
Save $20 - The latest Assassin's Creed title has just taken its biggest price drop yet. Best Buy is serving up Mirage for just $39.99 right now, a full $20 off the $59.99 MSRP. That's impressive considering other retailers can't keep up yet.

Buy it if:

✅ You enjoyed AC before Syndicate
✅ You prefer a more streamlined game world
✅ You don't mind a shorter game

Don't buy it if:

❌ You prefer the open worlds of Odyssey and Origins

Price Check: Amazon: $44.99 | Walmart: $49.94

Dead Island 2 HELL-A Edition (PS5) | ~~$99.99~~ $49.99 at Amazon
Save $50 - This is the deal that really gets me. I waited ten years, could I have waited another few months to grab all that extra merch and the game for less than the price of the standard edition? Maybe - but you don't have to grapple with that frustration. Amazon has the HELL-A Edition down to a record low price this week.

Buy it if:

✅ You're a fan of the original game
✅ You want all the extra merch you can get
✅ You've got a co-op partner

Don't buy it if:

❌ You don't like gore

Price Check: Best Buy: $65.99 | Walmart: $85.57

More of today's best Black Friday PS5 deals

Amazon: 35% off controllers and 11% off bundles
Best Buy: Slim console bundles now available
Walmart: games now starting from $15
GameStop: up to 50% off select games
PlayStation Portal: Check for stock at Amazon
Bundles: Spider-Man 2 free with $499.99 console at Amazon
Controllers: DualSense now down to $49 at Amazon
Headsets: Razer, Turtle Beach, SteelSeries and more from $24.95 at Amazon
Games: up to $30 off Sackboy, Spider-Man, Call of Duty and more
SSDs: 1TB SSDs from just $69.99

We're also keeping you stocked up with all the latest Black Friday gaming deals as well as the best Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals and Black Friday Xbox deals as well.

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Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.