Looking for more holiday deals? Visit our Guide to Cyber Week to see all the best sales to shop during Black Friday.
The holidays are always a great time of year to finally catch up on some gaming — especially when you can do it for cheap. We’re seeing some great gaming deals right now for Black Friday, including big discounts on new blockbuster titles, essential subscription services and useful accessories.
It’s also a good time to pick up a new gaming system, with a special Nintendo Switch bundle floating around, some great VR headset and gaming laptop deals and a few ever-elusive PS5 and Xbox Series X restocks popping up throughout the week. So whether you game on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC or a little bit of everything, here are the best Black Friday gaming deals we’ve found so far.
Best gaming console and VR deals
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle ($299, originally $369; bestbuy.com)
Nintendo usually offers a Mario Kart 8 bundle every Black Friday, but it’s sweetened the pot a bit for 2021. On top of getting you Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — an excellent kart racer that just about every Switch owner should have anyway — this bundle also includes three months of Nintendo Switch Online. That will allow you to play games online right out of the box, while also getting you access to cloud saves and a sizable library of NES and SNES classics including The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario World.
Xbox Series S with 3 months of Game Pass ($309; originally $345; gamestop.com)
The Xbox Series S is in stock at GameStop — practically a deal in itself — and if you snag one, you’ll get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $9.99. That’s a savings of $35, and will instantly jumpstart your library with hundreds of games that include Forza Horizon 5, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Back 4 Blood. The Series S is also just a great little console, with zippy load times, impressive 1440p gaming performance and a handy Quick Resume feature for juggling multiple titles.
Oculus Quest 2 with $50 gift card ($299, originally $349; amazon.com or gamestop.com)
The Oculus Quest 2 is a great virtual reality headset and one of our favorite overall gaming platforms, with a hassle-free setup that anyone can enjoy and an excellent library of immersive games, entertainment apps and sweat-pumping fitness experiences. You can currently get it with a free $50 gift card, which is perfect for picking up some Quest 2 accessories to go with your headset.
HTC Vive Cosmos Elite VR headset ($649, originally $899; amazon.com)
If you’re looking for a high-end virtual reality experience, HTC’s Cosmos Elite headset is currently available for a steep discount. Designed for powerful PCs, this headset’s tracking system allows you to move within up to 160 square feet for a truly room-scale VR experience. It’s got a sharp 2880 x 1700 display resolution for getting lost in top VR games, and a unique flip up design that makes it easy to return to the real world. Plus, with access to the Steam VR library and HTC’s own Viveport subscription service, this advanced headset will get you access to tons of popular games like Superhot VR, Beat Saber and Half Life: Alyx.
Best gaming subscription deals
Xbox Game Pass for PC 3-Month Membership ($1, originally $30; xbox.com)
We’ve long considered Xbox Game Pass to be the best value in gaming, and this Black Friday offer lets you try it for next to nothing. Microsoft is currently offering three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC for just $1 (yes, one dollar), which will get you a library of hundreds of PC games that include Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-Month Membership ($24.99, originally $44.99; gamestop.com)
If you want the more fully-featured Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, GameStop is currently offering three months of the service for pretty cheap. Game Pass Ultimate gets you access to the full Game Pass library on Xbox, PC and the cloud, and also includes Xbox Live Gold for Xbox online play and exclusive offers.
PlayStation Plus 1-Year Membership ($39.99, originally $59.99; gamestop.com)
PlayStation Plus is pretty much essential for any PS4 or PS5 owner, and it’s available at a steep discount right now. This subscription service allows you to play PlayStation games online, while also getting you a monthly rotation of free games and access to exclusive discounts.
Best gaming software deals
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ($26.99, originally $59.99; gamestop.com)
If you somehow haven’t played Breath of the Wild yet, you’ve got one less excuse now. Largely considered to be the best Switch game out there, Breath of the Wild reinvents the Zelda formula by throwing Link into a gorgeous, expansive open world that you can explore however you see fit. GameStop has a ton of big Switch games at lowest-ever prices, but this is easily the biggest sale we’ve seen on a rarely-discounted Nintendo game.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales ($29.99; originally $49.99; bestbuy.com)
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is one of the best PS5 games yet, with a heartfelt story, exhilarating web-swinging gameplay and gorgeous graphics and DualSense tricks that really showcase what the latest PlayStation can do. It’s a must-have at this price.
Deathloop ($29.99, originally $59.99; bestbuy.com)
Deathloop is a unique first-person shooter that sticks you in a time loop — when you die, you start over, learning from every run while building up a fun arsenal of weapons and powers that let you tackle enemy encounters however you see fit. It’s one of the PS5’s most exciting and original games, and well worth it at this sale price.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart ($49.99, originally $69.99; bestbuy.com)
Considered by many to be the PS5’s top game so far, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a beautiful 3D platformer that taps into the PS5’s advanced solid-state drive to let you warp between worlds in an instant. It’s both a great technical showpiece and an excellent action game, and is an easy choice at this price.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy ($29.99, originally $59.99; bestbuy.com)
The new Guardians of the Galaxy game is an action-adventure romp that’s just as charismatic — and cinematic — as the recent films. It was one of our most anticipated games from E3 2021, and is already at a steep discount just weeks after launch.
Demon’s Souls ($39.99, originally $69.99; bestbuy.com)
If you’re up for a challenge, Demon’s Souls is exactly what you’re looking for. This stunning and unforgiving action game remakes the 2009 original specifically for the PS5, with beautiful graphics, satisfying controller haptics and a breathtaking world that’ll make pushing through those difficult bosses worth it.
Ring Fit Adventure ($54.99, originally $79.99; amazon.com)
Nintendo’s hugely popular exercise game just hit its lowest price yet, making now a great time to see what all the hype is about. Ring Fit Adventure is essentially an immersive role-playing game that you play with your entire body, as you’ll use the included Ring-Con and Leg Strap to vanquish foes by performing various exercises. If you’re looking for a fun way to work up a sweat, this is it.
Madden NFL 22 ($35, originally $69.99; amazon.com)
If you’re looking for your football fix, the latest Madden game is available at a pretty solid discount. On top of looking more eerily true-to-life than ever, Madden NFL 22 evolves the pigskin action with a deeper franchise mode and new X-Factor abilities that make top NFL stars feel even more unique to play.
NBA 2K22 ($35, originally $69.99; amazon.com)
If you haven’t picked up 2K’s latest basketball game, this is the cheapest we’ve seen it yet. NBA 2K22 puts more offensive and defensive moves at your fingertips, features a new city that you can explore as you see fit while engaging in games and challenges and lets you build your fantasy squad in MyTeam mode.
Far Cry 6 ($35, originally $59.99; amazon.com)
Far Cry 6 is the latest installment in Ubisoft’s popular open-world shooter series, this time tasking you with liberating the city of Yara using guns, vehicles and even a few dog companions. Oh, and Giancarlo Esposito is the bad guy.
Marvel’s Avengers ($14.99, originally $39.99; amazon.com)
We really enjoyed the cinematic superhero action of Marvel’s Avengers, and while it has its flaws, the game is a no-brainer at this price. Better yet, it’s constantly getting better with free updates and expansions — including the arrival of Spider-Man exclusively for PlayStation players this fall.
Best gaming accessory deals
Xbox Wireless Controller ($49.99, originally $64.99; walmart.com)
The latest Xbox controller is Microsoft’s best yet, featuring more ergonomic and textured grips, a rounded D-pad for added precision and a handy share button for instantly capturing your best moments. It’s just about the best-feeling controller out there and works with Xbox consoles, PCs, Macs and mobile devices, so there’s no reason not to have one handy.
Logitech G203 Lightsync Gaming Mouse ($19.99, originally $39.99; amazon.com)
We love this Logitech gaming mouse, which has customizable RGB lighting, a variety of attractive color options and an ergonomic design that’s comfortable for both gaming and working from home. It’s a worthy addition to any desk for just $20.
KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks ($11.89, originally $21.99; amazon.com)
KontrolFreek’s ThumbSticks add some extra grip to your PS4 or PS5 controller’s thumbsticks, which is ideal for competitive gamers or simply anyone who wants to keep their thumbs extra comfy during marathon play sessions.
Razer Kraken X Gaming Headset ($29.99, originally $49.99; amazon.com)
The Razer Kraken X is our favorite budget gaming headset thanks to its excellent sound, comfort and mic quality for the money, and it’s even more of a steal at this sale price.
HyperX Cloud Alpha S Gaming Headset ($79.99; originally $129.99; amazon.com)
Our pick for the best wired gaming headset, the HyperX Cloud Alpha is one of the most comfortable and best-sounding models we’ve tested. It also has excellent inline controls for adjusting your game and chat audio on the fly, and works well with just about any platform thanks to both USB and 3.5mm connections.
WD 1TB My Passport Portable External Hard Drive ($44.97, originally $59.99; amazon.com)
This external hard drive will let you store up to 1TB worth of digital games, which is pretty handy considering how fast your console’s internal storage can fill up. Just note that while this drive can store PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games, it can only run previous-gen games directly from the drive. But having a way to offload all of your PS4 or Xbox One games to a separate drive will free up your PS5 and Xbox Series X storage for all the new stuff, which is perfect for folks who like to download most of their games digitally.
SanDisk 128GB microSDXC card ($19.99, originally $34.99; amazon.com)
If you download most of your games digitally, your Switch’s internal storage is going to fill up fast. We highly recommend that any Switch owner pick up a microSD card like this discounted 128GB SanDisk model, which will let you store exponentially more games, screenshots and videos at once. This popular card works with every Switch model and, as a bonus, comes with some fun Nintendo branding.
PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller ($33.98, originally $54.99; amazon.com)
Looking for a cheaper alternative to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller? If you can live without HD rumble and amiibo support, PowerA’s wireless option is a great choice at this price. It has a similar look and feel to Nintendo’s first-party pad, as well as two programmable back buttons that can help give you an edge in competitive games. And if you’re shopping for a serious Nintendo lover, this gamepad comes in a variety of themed skins that run the gamut from Animal Crossing to Zelda.
Best PC gaming deals
MSI Aegis RS ($2,999, originally $3,499; bhphotovideo.com)
The MSI Aegis RS is our pick for the best gaming desktop thanks to its great performance and attractive, easy-to-upgrade design, and this deal lets you score a very powerful configuration for a steep discount. This Aegis model features the latest top-of-the-line Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card as well as an 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 processor, meaning it’s well-equipped to play the latest PC games at their highest potential for years to come.
AOC 27G2 ($199, originally $259; amazon.com)
One of the more solid budget gaming monitors we’ve tested, the AOC 27G2 gives you a large, responsive screen for smooth 1080p gaming. It’s at nearly its lowest price yet, and is a good pick if you’re looking to spend less than $200 on a monitor.