Should you buy an Xbox Series X or S on Black Friday? Here's everything to factor in

If you're debating whether you should buy an Xbox Series X or S on Black Friday, you're probably not alone. With Starfield launching this year, debates about new exclusives from Activision doing the rounds, and Game Pass continuing to offer great value, there are lots of people wondering whether they should add an Xbox to their digital carts this November. 

Even if you own a PS5, and have played PlayStation games your entire life, it's understandable to think about grabbing a wee subsidiary console while they're cheap. Xbox now has more studios on its team than it ever has, and Starfield shows just how much you could miss out on if you don't have a beefy gaming PC to fall back on. Whether it's one of the many Bethesda franchises like Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI, or even an Activision Blizzard title, there are now more reasons than ever for you to start thinking about buying an Xbox Series X or S on Black Friday.

However, just like buying a PS5 or one of the best gaming PCs, purchasing an Xbox Series X or S is still a daunting financial commitment, especially with cost of living struggles and inflation that has been surging for well over a year now. On the other hand, it is November, and Black Friday gaming deals will start appearing in no time.

It's easy to feel that push and pull, so congratulations on doing some research on the value for money you could get with an Xbox. November is definitely the time of year that is best to buy any gaming tech or console. Black Friday Xbox deals make sure of that since there are bundles, discounts, and deals to make the most of.

Should I buy an Xbox Series X this Black Friday?

Undoubtedly, the Xbox Series X is the premium option if you want to have a truly next-gen console experience that lives up to the likes of the PS5. It has almost double the storage of the smaller Series S, 12 teraflops of graphical processing power, and can output at true 4K. It even has a 4K Blu-ray drive to give you a bit more versatility. 

The latter fact also means that if you're upgrading from an Xbox One, you can still keep and use all of your game discs due to the superb backward compatibility that Xbox offers. This can be a big deal, especially if you've built up a big physical game library over the past generation.

If you are already an Xbox fan then the Series X is going to be the most tempting option, as it'll give you the objectively best ways to enjoy the games. The SSD is astoundingly quick in this console, and the Quick Resume feature is something PS5 can't even do despite its M.2 port. Modern games don't struggle to run on it either, which can occasionally be the case for the Series S.

Having said all that, the price could be a turn-off. As its standard retail position, the Xbox Series X price of $499 / £449 could easily be a bit much if you haven't been saving up for a while. There are some great deals available already, especially on bundles that offer a free game or a Game Pass subscription. If you're really bargain hunting you can always look in the refurbished aisle too.

Buy an Xbox Series X on Black Friday if:

• You want the most powerful Xbox console
• You have a big physical Xbox game collection
• You're budget is healthy
• You want to buy physical games for the current generation

Don't buy an Xbox Series X on Black Friday if:

• You're on a tighter budget
• You aren't fussed about 4K or the most powerful machine
• You aren't tied to physical games or need a disc drive
• You're open to digital-only gaming
• You already own a PS5

Should I buy an Xbox Series S this Black Friday?

If you're willing to forgo some of the premium console benefits of the Series X, there is always the more budget-friendly option. The Series S, often dubbed "the GamePass Machine", allows you access to hundreds of great games, not to mention all the exclusive, first-party games like Starfield, without breaking the bank - which is especially welcome if you've already splashed out upwards of $500 / £500 on a PS5 set-up. 

The great thing about the Series S is that it's extremely deals-prone when events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll in. There will be plenty of bundles to be had this year, and we'll likely see the first major discounts on the new black 1TB Series S that launched earlier in 2023. 

In fairness, that model is a bit more expensive, and that might defeat the point of going for the budget option. 512GB is not an awful lot of storage space, but you can always use one of the best Xbox Series X hard external drives to give it a boost. Speaking of which, plenty of those will be on offer thanks to Black Friday external hard drive deals.

We've already seen some new bundles for the Series S. Most of these lump in games like Diablo IV, Forza Horizon 5, or Starfield. These are great if you're only interested in playing a few select games on the mini console, but some bundles also throw in a Game Pass voucher too.

Buy an Xbox Series S on Black Friday if:

• You have a more limited budget
• You're OK with all-digital gaming
• You're mainly interested in utilizing Game Pass
• You don't have any existing Xbox physical games
• You're not chasing the absolute best in power
• You're happy to add a storage solution externally
• You just want to play Starfield

Don't buy an Xbox Series S on Black Friday if:

• You want the most powerful Xbox console
• You need a disc drive for games or TV and movies
• You have a healthier budget and can splash out a bit more
• You're interested in physical games as well as Game Pass henceforth
• You need lots of storage

Will there be Xbox Series X|S bundles this Black Friday?

There are always some bundles you can look out for that will get you some additional freebies along with your console purchase. Whether it's a few months of Gamepass for free, or some specific titles and accessories, there are bound to be deals to make use of. Keeping track of prices and bundles can be tough. If you'd like to keep your finger on the pulse, stay tuned to our Black Friday deals page as we'll keep it up to date with the best offers we find.

Below, we've used our price comparison software to bring you the best prices in your region for the Xbox Series X|S consoles as well as controllers, vouchers, and essential accessories.

Then again, you could put more money into upgrading your PlayStation set-up instead. If you want buying advice for that, have a look at our Black Friday PS5 deals page, or our Black Friday PS5 and Xbox Series X TV deals page for something that'll make whatever console you have shine.