Black Friday will soon be here, and the deals are about to start flowing. Every year on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, all major retailers hold their biggest sales of the year. In the US, this controversial consumerist day of sales has led to unfathomable lines, violent behavior, and viral videos, but luckily in recent years, most Black Friday shopping can be done online.
For gamers, this time of year is a great opportunity to pick up a new console, PC, or video card. Hardware deals are huge, but Black Friday and its online companion Cyber Monday are always full of smaller deals on some of the best games of the past couple years. No matter what shoppers are looking for to fit their gaming related needs, someone is bound to have them covered. Here is what to expect from 2019 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
Expect a Full Week of Deals
Black Friday deals used to be relegated to door-busters and limited time deals, encouraging shoppers to get up early the morning after Thanksgiving and line up for the chaos that was about to ensue. In the past few years expectations have shifted a bit. Cyber Monday plays a much larger role in the week and many of the best Black Friday deals are no longer exclusive to physical stores. This year Black Friday falls on November 29 and Cyber Monday is on December 2, but expect deals throughout the period in between the two.
As the boundaries between Cyber Monday and Black Friday disappear, so have the hard and fast dates. Some deals will begin on Thanksgiving or earlier in the week to give shoppers plenty more time. Most deals run through the weekend, bridging the gap between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and turning the whole extended weekend into deals central. Expect to start paying attention to the best deals the week before Thanksgiving and through the week that follows. Great deals can and will appear any time in this window.
Get the Best Games of the Year for Cheap
Without fail, every year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales have discounts on games from last holiday season and early in the year. Some of 2018's best deals included God of War for $25 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for as low as $39. So which of the best 2019 games are most likely to appear in Black Friday sales this year?
Some of the best games of 2019 came out early in the year. Capcom's 2019 hits Devil May Cry 5 and the remake of Resident Evil 2 have been out for a while, and have already been on sale a bit in 2019, so those are likely to hit all-time low prices. Remedy's Control has already seen many a sale since its August release, so expect deals on the single-player paranormal action game this Black Friday.
Nintendo rarely puts its games on sale, but sometimes around Black Friday and the holidays they will lower the price of some of their first-party games down to $45. Hopefully this year brings similar deals on Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Super Mario Maker 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
One Last Hurrah For This Generation of Consoles
2020 will bring a new generation of gaming consoles with the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett. But for now, Black Friday will be the best time to get a console or take that leap upgrade to a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. If last year's bundles were indicative of what is to come this fall, most major retailers will be offering affordable console bundles featuring some of the best games of the generation. Black Friday 2019 will be the cheapest chance to get an upgraded console that gamers don't have yet.
Historically, Nintendo has not yet dropped the price of the Switch for a sale, even on last year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With the release of the Switch Lite, now seems like the time to final drop the price of that regular switch for a seasonal sale. A Walmart deal leak that was later confirmed to be falsified showed deals on the Switch Lite as well as Sony and Microsoft consoles. Ultimately this leaked from an unreliable source and cannot be considered when planning for Black Friday, but know that Xbox One X and PS4 pro bundles are likely to be on sale anyway. The Switch Lite, on the other hand, will probably not get a drastic price drop. Those looking to pick up Nintendo's new portable should not expect more than a new bundle with some cool Switch games.
Let's not forget about the PC gamer in the family. Every year Black Friday PC deals are no joke, so expect deals on gaming laptops, video cards, keyboards, and other accessories. In the same vein, Black Friday is a great time to pick up a new TV, phone, or tablet.