The best Black Friday game console deals on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5 and others
Not every console is on sale, but we've organized all of the places where you can buy these machines in one place.
Demand for the current generation of Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox consoles has been through the roof for the better part of two years now, and that should only amplify during Black Friday. We can't guarantee you'll be able to get the Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X/S you've been eyeing this holiday season, but to help make your search a little bit more convenient, we've compiled all the product listings we can find for each console in one place. Again, demand for these machines is high, so not every console may be in stock by the time you read this. We'll update this article over the course of the day if new offers pop up. For now, though, let us save you a bit of Googling.
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo's primary deal this Black Friday bundles the base-model Nintendo Switch with a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a three-month subscription to its Nintendo Switch Online service. If that sounds familiar, it's because Nintendo has run this exact same promotion during Black Friday for the last few years.
It's hard to call this a great deal at this point — the Switch OLED is a pretty firm upgrade, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, while fun, is a five-year-old rerelease of an eight-year-old Wii U game. But if you don't need the OLED model's upgraded display and just want to save a few bucks, there's at least some value here. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still receiving updates and normally retails around $50, while a 3-month Switch Online membership normally goes for $8.
We'll note that Amazon subsidiary Woot had the console alone down to $268 earlier on Friday, but that offer now appears to be out of stock.
Buy Nintendo Switch holiday bundle ($300) at:
Nintendo Switch OLED
The $350 Switch OLED is the newest Switch model, so it should be unsurprising to hear that it isn't on sale at most major retailers. Really, deals of any kind for the console have have been exceedingly rare since it launched in October 2021. Stock for the Switch OLED is generally spottier as well.
We did see one noteworthy discount this Black Friday, though, as Woot had the white version of the console available for $320. Unfortunately, that deal now looks to have expired.
As a reminder, the Switch OLED isn't any better at running games than the standard model, but its 7-inch OLED display is larger and more vibrant, it doubles the internal storage (64GB), its built-in kickstand is much sturdier and its updated dock has an Ethernet port. We gave it a review score of 89 last year.
Buy Nintendo Switch OLED ($350) at:
Nintendo Switch Lite
We have seen a few deals for the $200 Switch Lite since it arrived in 2019, but the compact console isn't discounted for Black Friday as of this writing. This is the entry-level, handheld-only variant of the Switch; again, there's no difference in power, but it has a smaller 5.5-inch LED display, it doesn't work with Nintendo's dock and it's not equipped with detachable controllers. It also has a genuine D-pad. We gave it a review score of 90 a few years back.
Buy Nintendo Switch Lite ($200) at:
PlayStation 5
There've been next to no discounts on Sony's PlayStation 5 since it arrived two years ago, and we don't expect that to change this Black Friday. The console is easier to actually purchase these days — and brick-and-mortar stores are more likely to have it now than in years past — but stock still tends to dry up fast whenever it does become available. Retailers like Amazon and Sony itself continue to hold their inventory behind an invite system to fend off scalpers, while others like GameStop keep it behind store membership programs.
As has been the case for the past few months, it'll likely be easiest to get the console as part of a bundle. Sony's main one of those this holiday season pairs the console with a digital copy of God of War: Ragnarok, which we broadly recommended earlier this month. It costs $559 (or $460 with a disc-drive-less PS5 Digital Edition), which is only $10 off what the console and game would cost otherwise. Since it's more expensive than buying the $500 PS5 alone, though, there should be a little less competition when trying to buy one.
Walmart has had these bundles up for sale since Monday, and stock still appears to be intermittently available at the retailer as of Friday afternoon. We wouldn't be surprised to see more non-bundled PS5s become available into Cyber Monday, but you'll likely need to be vigilant or use a lengthier invite process to more reliably grab one. Note that the $400 Digital Edition is traditionally much harder to find in stock than the standard model, too.
The PS5 itself could still do with a few more exclusives, but its library is growing all the time, and its hardware will still represent a significant upgrade for those hanging onto a PS4.
Buy PlayStation 5 ($500) at:
Buy PS5 Digital Edition ($400) at:
Buy PS5 + God of War: Ragnarok bundle ($560) at:
Buy PS5 Digital Edition + God of War: Ragnarok bundle ($460) at:
Xbox Series X
Microsoft's Xbox Series X has been more readily available to purchase over the past year than the PlayStation 5, but discounts for it have been virtually nonexistent, and it's still not uncommon to see it out of stock at third-party retailers. There aren't any Black Friday deals of note going on for it as of this writing. Like the PS5, Amazon still holds the device behind an invite system, and Walmart had it available to Walmart+ subscribers earlier Monday.
Your best bet right now looks to be buying from Microsoft itself, though again we could see more stock elsewhere over the course of the day. Again, the latest Xboxes are somewhat lacking in exclusives, but Xbox Game Pass remains a strong value for those who play lots of games, and the Series X is still a powerful piece of hardware for 4K gaming.
Buy Xbox Series X ($500) at:
Xbox Series S
The one console that is genuinely discounted is the Xbox Series S. Microsoft announced last week that the diminutive console would be available for $250, which is $50 off its standard going rate. Since then, however, we've seen the device available for even less: Woot now has it for $220, while Amazon and Microsoft itself have it down to $240. Earlier in the week, meanwhile, Microsoft had a bundle that priced the device at $250 and included its Xbox Stereo Headset — typically a $50 value — at no extra cost.
The best deal of the bunch, though, has been at Target, which is throwing in a $50 store gift card on top of a $50 discount. This offer is still active, but Target's stock appears to be dropping in and out.
Either way, we've seen the Series S fall to $250 in the past, but this is still a good price for those who want a secondary console or a more affordable route into the Xbox game library. We gave the Series S a review score of 85 at launch: It lacks a disc drive, only has 512GB of built-in storage and isn't designed to push 4K resolutions like the Series X, but it can play all the same games, its SSD still allows for fast load times and its compact design is easier to tuck away.
Buy Xbox Series S ($250) at:
Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.
